@article {1155,
	title = {Elucidating the Role of Hydroxide Electrolyte on Anion-Exchange-Membrane Water Electrolyzer Performance},
	journal = {Journal of The Electrochemical Society},
	volume = {168},
	year = {2021},
	month = {05/2021},
	pages = {054522},
	abstract = {Many solid-state devices, especially those requiring anion conduction, often add a supporting electrolyte to enable efficient operation. The prototypical case is that of anion-exchange-membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs), where addition of an alkali metal solution improves performance. However, the specific mechanism of this performance improvement is currently unknown. This work investigates the functionality of the alkali metal solution in AEMWEs using experiments and mathematical models. The results show that additional hydroxide plays a key role not only in ohmic resistance of the membrane and catalyst layer but also in the reaction kinetics. The modeling suggests that the added liquid electrolyte creates an additional electrochemical interface with the electrocatalyst that provides ion-transport pathways and distributes product gas bubbles; the total effective electrochemical active surface area in the cell with 1 M KOH is 5 times higher than that of the cell with DI water. In the cell with 1 M KOH, more than 80\% of the reaction current is associate with the liquid electrolyte. These results indicate the importance of high pH of electrolyte and catalyst/electrolyte interface in AEMWEs. The understanding of the functionality of the alkali metal solution presented in this study should help guide the design and optimization of AEMWEs.},
	keywords = {alkali metal solutions, anion-exchange-membrane water electrolyzers, Energy Sciences, energy storage, liquid electrolyte, solid-state devices},
	issn = {0013-4651},
	doi = {10.1149/1945-7111/ac0019},
	author = {Jiangjin Liu and Zhenye Kang and Dongguo Li and Magnolia Pak and Shaun M. Alia and Cy Fujimoto and Guido Bender and Yu Seung Kim and Adam Z. Weber}
}
@article {704,
	title = {Phenyl Oxidation Impacts the Durability of Alkaline Membrane Water Electrolyzer},
	journal = {ACS Applied Materials \& Interfaces},
	volume = {11},
	year = {2019},
	note = {{\textquoteright}doi: 10.1021/acsenergylett.0c01132\n - I.Am.Hydrogen{\textquoteright}
{\textquoteright}\n - jyoungstrom{\textquoteright}
{\textquoteright}Jason thinks this is great.\n~\n - jyoungstrom{\textquoteright}
{\textquoteright}\n - estechel{\textquoteright}
},
	pages = {9696-9701},
	abstract = {Published on March 13th, 2019.
The durability of alkaline anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzers is a critical requirement for implementing this technology in cost-effective hydrogen production. Here, we report that the electrochemical oxidation of the adsorbed phenyl group (found in the ionomer) on oxygen evolution catalysts produces phenol, which may cause performance deterioration in AEM electrolyzers. In-line 1H NMR kinetic analyses of phenyl oxidation in a model organic cation electrolyte shows that catalyst type significantly impacts the phenyl oxidation rate at an oxygen evolution potential. Density functional theory calculations show that the phenyl adsorption is a critical factor determining the phenyl oxidation. This research provides a path for the development of more durable AEM electrolyzers with components that can minimize the adverse impact induced by the phenyl group oxidation, such as the development of novel ionomers with fewer phenyl moieties or catalysts with less phenyl-adsorbing character.},
	issn = {1944-8244},
	doi = {10.1021/acsami.9b00711},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b00711},
	author = {Dongguo Li and Ivana Matanovic and Albert S. Lee and Eun Joo Park and Cy Fujimoto and Hoon T. Chung and Yu Seung Kim}
}
