Nanomesh electrode in 100x battery boost
imec and KU Leuven in Belgium have developed a 3D structure of interconnected nanowires that can boost the current density in batteries, fuel cells and hydrogen electrolysers by as much as 100x.
Compared to conventional planar nickel electrodes, the 3.5μm diameter nickel nanomesh provides higher porosity with an extremely high surface area, providing plenty of reaction sites. This is attractive for numerous electrochemical applications, including electrolysis for the production of green hydrogen, and the mesh can be created via electroplating, an up-scalable fabrication flow, which makes them cheaper than currently used metal foams.
The monolithically integrated nickel nanomesh has an open support grid to allow gaseous reagents and products to be introduced and removed efficiently from the reaction sites. In an experimental setup they demonstrated that the theoretically available surface area of the nanomesh is almost completely available, resulting in a current density of 1A/cm2 from an area of 26 m2/cm3
“The versatility of the nanomesh allows for a much wider portfolio of materials and applications. For instance, we can use copper or silver for CO2 reduction in gas diffusion electrodes,” said Nina Planckensteiner, Marie-Curie post-doctoral researcher at imec. “We are excited to continue exploring the potential of the nanomesh for a wide range of electrochemical applications.”
“To achieve large-scale production of green hydrogen at offshore wind farms, where space is limited, we need to develop compact electrolysers with high efficiency,” said Bart Onsia, business development manager at imec. “These results are a promising step towards the development of new electrolysers components, and we are committed to continuing our research in this area to drive the transition to a more sustainable future.”
“We chose nickel for the current demonstrations for hydrogen production, an area in which we partner with VITO within Hyve, a Belgian consortium that pursues cost-efficient and sustainable hydrogen production on gigawatt scale,” said Philippe Vereecken, imec fellow and part-time professor at KU Leuven.
www.imec-int.com; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2468606922002301
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
