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PreprintCC BY-NC-NDChemRxiv

An Ultrathin Embedded SnO2 Interface for Water Dissociation in Bipolar Membranes and pseudo-PEM Electrolyzers

  • Yifan Wu1,2,3,4
  • Benjamin N. Indeglia5,6
  • Vivek S. Devalla5,2,7
  • Wenbo Zhang1,2
  • Helen K. Chen1,2
  • Peiyao Wu1,2
  • Sahil Gasso8,9
  • Jihan Zhang1,2
  • Yu-Wei Chuang1,2
  • Duha Syar1,2
  • Olivia T. Vulpin10,11
  • Daniela Radu8,9
4 more authors
  • Joelle Frechette1,2
  • Iryna V. Zenyuk5,2,7
  • Karen I. Winey5,6
  • Shannon W. Boettcher1,2,3,4,10,11
11 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Department of Chemistry
  2. 2University of California
  3. 3Energy Technologies and Systems Division
  4. 4Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  5. 5Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  6. 6University of Pennsylvania
  7. 7National Fuel Cell Research Center (NFCRC
  8. 8Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
  9. 9Florida International University
  10. 10Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Oregon Center for Electrochemistry
  11. 11University of Oregon
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Abstract

Water dissociation (WD) at bipolar membrane (BPM) junctions is a key reaction in a number of electrochemical energy conversion and separation technologies. While metal oxide catalysts like SnO 2 accelerate WD, conventional particle-based deposition methods typically yield thick and morphologically heterogeneous junction layers. We report a simple aqueous precursor-treatment route that reconstructs the near-surface region of Nafion into an ultrathin SnO 2 -bearing interface. In contrast to conventional spin-coated SnO 2 , which forms a discrete particulate overlayer, the embedded interface is smooth, spatially confined, and closely integrated with the membrane. Despite this major structural difference, BPMs fabricated from SnO 2 -eb-Nafion exhibit WD performance comparable to benchmark spin-coated SnO 2 junctions. When normalized by SnO 2 loading, the embedded junction delivers a ~21-fold higher current density in an electrolyzer test cell at a total cell voltage of 2 V, highlighting improved catalyst utilization. Structural and electrochemical controls show that the high activity arises from interfacially localized SnO 2 rather than bulk SnO 2 incorporation or altered proton conductivity. The embedded route improves precursor efficiency, increases membrane junction adhesion force by 7×, and maintains stable operation under continuous elec-trolyzer testing. A preliminary pseudo-PEM water-electrolysis demonstration further shows that the embedded SnO 2 interface remains beneficial in an AEI–PEM heterojunction architecture coupled to a PGM-free Co 3 O 4 anode. These results establish precursor-based interfacial self-reconstruction as a practical route to thin, active, and mechanically integrated catalyst–membrane junctions. Keywords: Bipolar membranes; Water dissociation; Tin oxide (SnO 2 ); Ionomer interfaces; Water electrolysis

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{wu2026ultrathin,
  title = {{An Ultrathin Embedded SnO2 Interface for Water Dissociation in Bipolar Membranes and pseudo-PEM Electrolyzers}},
  author = {Yifan Wu and Benjamin N. Indeglia and Vivek S. Devalla and Wenbo Zhang and Helen K. Chen and Peiyao Wu and Sahil Gasso and Jihan Zhang and Yu-Wei Chuang and Duha Syar and Olivia T. Vulpin and Daniela Radu and Joelle Frechette and Iryna V. Zenyuk and Karen I. Winey and Shannon W. Boettcher},
  howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15009776/v1},
  url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009776/v1},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - An Ultrathin Embedded SnO2 Interface for Water Dissociation in Bipolar Membranes and pseudo-PEM Electrolyzers
AU  - Yifan Wu
AU  - Benjamin N. Indeglia
AU  - Vivek S. Devalla
AU  - Wenbo Zhang
AU  - Helen K. Chen
AU  - Peiyao Wu
AU  - Sahil Gasso
AU  - Jihan Zhang
AU  - Yu-Wei Chuang
AU  - Duha Syar
AU  - Olivia T. Vulpin
AU  - Daniela Radu
AU  - Joelle Frechette
AU  - Iryna V. Zenyuk
AU  - Karen I. Winey
AU  - Shannon W. Boettcher
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/02
PB  - ChemRxiv
DO  - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15009776/v1
UR  - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009776/v1
AB  - Water dissociation (WD) at bipolar membrane (BPM) junctions is a key reaction in a number of electrochemical energy conversion and separation technologies. While metal oxide catalysts like SnO 2 accelerate WD, conventional particle-based deposition methods typically yield thick and morphologically heterogeneous junction layers. We report a simple aqueous precursor-treatment route that reconstructs the near-surface region of Nafion into an ultrathin SnO 2 -bearing interface. In contrast to conventional spin-coated SnO 2 , which forms a discrete particulate overlayer, the embedded interface is smooth, spatially confined, and closely integrated with the membrane. Despite this major structural difference, BPMs fabricated from SnO 2 -eb-Nafion exhibit WD performance comparable to benchmark spin-coated SnO 2 junctions. When normalized by SnO 2 loading, the embedded junction delivers a ~21-fold higher current density in an electrolyzer test cell at a total cell voltage of 2 V, highlighting improved catalyst utilization. Structural and electrochemical controls show that the high activity arises from interfacially localized SnO 2 rather than bulk SnO 2 incorporation or altered proton conductivity. The embedded route improves precursor efficiency, increases membrane junction adhesion force by 7×, and maintains stable operation under continuous elec-trolyzer testing. A preliminary pseudo-PEM water-electrolysis demonstration further shows that the embedded SnO 2 interface remains beneficial in an AEI–PEM heterojunction architecture coupled to a PGM-free Co 3 O 4 anode. These results establish precursor-based interfacial self-reconstruction as a practical route to thin, active, and mechanically integrated catalyst–membrane junctions. Keywords: Bipolar membranes; Water dissociation; Tin oxide (SnO 2 ); Ionomer interfaces; Water electrolysis
ER  -