DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202300735 ISSN: 2192-6506
A Mild Method for the Activation of Cation Exchange Membranes Used in Tubular PEM Electrolyzers
Beatriz Sánchez Batalla, Armin Laube, Thorsten Struckmann, André Hofer, Sebastian Zallmann, Caroline Körner, Simon Fischer, Bastien Oliver Burek, Julien Bachmann, Claudia Weidlich- General Chemistry
Co‐extrusion of both half‐cells in tubular PEM water electrolyzers can lower the costs for hydrogen production, since the number of components is reduced and the production process is simplified. However, after co‐extrusion of the inner half‐cell and the ion exchange membrane, the membrane is in its fluoride sulfonyl form and must be hydrolyzed to achieve the proton conductive sulfonic acid to be ready for use. Common practice is the hydrolysis using concentrated alkaline solutions, which causes a corrosion of the laminated anode electrode. We developed a less corrosive method using triethylsilanol as reactant. Tubular membranes hydrolyzed with this new procedure were characterized and tested in an electrolyzer laboratory test setup.