Pulsed‐Current Operation Enhances H 2 O 2 Production on a Boron‐Doped Diamond Mesh Anode in a Zero‐Gap PEM Electrolyzer
At a Glance
Section titled “At a Glance”| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2025-01-16 |
| Journal | ChemSusChem |
| Authors | Ádám Vass, Maximilian Göltz, Hanadi Ghanem, Stefan Rosiwal, Tanja Franken |
| Institutions | Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research, Forschungszentrum Jülich |
| Citations | 2 |
Abstract
Section titled “Abstract”Abstract A niobium (Nb) mesh electrode was coated with boron‐doped diamond (BDD) using chemical vapor deposition in a custom‐built hot‐filament reactor. The BDD‐functionalized mesh was tested in a zero‐gap electrolysis configuration and evaluated for the anodic formation of H 2 O 2 by selective oxidation of water, including the analysis of the effects on Faradaic efficiency towards H 2 O 2 induced by pulsed electrolysis. A low electrolyte flow rate ( ) was found to result in a relatively high concentration of H 2 O 2 in single‐pass electrolysis experiments. Regarding pulsed electrolysis, we show an optimal ratio of on‐time to off‐time to obtain the highest concentration of H 2 O 2 . Off‐times that are “too short” result in decreased , whereas “too long” off‐times dilute the product in the electrolyte stream. Using our electrolyzer setup with an anodic pulse of 2 s with 4 s intervals, and a of 0.75 cm 3 min −1 , resulted in the best performance. This adjustment increased the by 70 % compared to constant current electrolysis, at industrially relevant current densities (150 mA cm −2 ). Fine tuning of BDD morphology, flow patterns, and anolyte composition might further increase the performance of zero‐gap electrolyzers in pulsed operation modes.