Highly Active Nano-Porous Thin-Films for Water Electrolysis Using an Automated Print Technology Based on Spark Ablation
Authors: Mazzola Vincent , Irtem Erdem , Asperti Simone , Vijayakumar Anagha , Van Vugt Aaike 
Published: August 2024

Accelerating hydrogen (H2) deployment via renewable electricity is a key G7 strategy for sustainable transitions in hard-to-decarbonize sectors (e.g., circular-plastics, -steel, -fertilizers,shipping, and aviation) therefore, Alkaline (AWE) and Polymer Electrolyte Membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) play a crucial role amongst low-temperature power-to-X technologies for establishing a hydrogen network. Assuming all hydrogen will be green by 2030 (with ca. 150 million metric tons), a significant increase in electrolyser capacity to 3,000 gigawatts is necessary, given the current capacity of 0.3 gigawatts. However, the adoption of electrolysers faces a bottleneck due to scarce platinum group materials (PGMs) used as catalyst, specifically Iridium and Platinum. The commercial PGM loading per membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is at 3 mg/cm2, requiring substantial efforts to redesign electrocatalyst materials through a nano-architecture, necessitating a thousandfold increase in surface area (µm to nm scale) and a tenfold reduction in mass loading (mg to µg). The realization of this objective is conceivable through innovative surface engineering and manufacturing techniques, exemplified by. VSPARTICLE is actively advancing its manufacturing technology for green H2, bridging academia and industry . We developed a unique nano-printing technology which utilizes spark ablation for generating nano-porous electrocatalyst thin films across diverse elements and alloys. Unlike traditional methods, it eliminates the need for chemical precursors or binders, reducing waste and extra pre- / post-process steps. The VSP-P1 nano-printer serves as a crucial R&D tool for dry-synthesis, enabling both the production of complex electrocatalyst layers and also sample arrays high-throughput screening. This accelerates the discovery of new catalysts, fostering the creation and application of novel nanomaterials in specialized setups. Our oral presentation will unveil the latest findings concerning oxygen evolution electrodes, employing Ir-based and Ni-based catalysts produced through the innovative VSP-P1 nano-printing technology, which exhibit notable activity in acidic and alkaline water electrolysis, respectively, even at low loadings, such as 0.4 mg/cm2. Therefore, our oral presentation aims to show the latest findings on accelerated electrocatalysts discovery concerning oxygen evolution reaction (OER) produced through the innovative VSP-P1 nano-printing technology. In parallel to comprehensive flow-cell experiments, meticulous control tests and characterization techniques (XRD, XRF, HR-SEM) on proxy samples were conducted, leveraging the versatility of VSP-P1 to create identical nano-porous films on various substrates such as Si-wafer, conductive glass, and glassy carbon disks. The scalability of this dry manufacturing process, coupled with the rapid iteration capability for tuning material parameters and test-beds, promises a tenfold acceleration in electrocatalyst utilization. In summary, this presentation intends to reveal a methodology that not only shows an efficient strategy for catalyst utilization through nano-printed layers, but also shortens the time required to bring novel materials to market.

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