Nano-architecturing electroactive porous transport layers to reduce voltage losses in anion-exchange membrane electrolyzers
Abstract
Anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) offer a promising pathway for sustainable hydrogen production. Despite notable progress, overall system efficiency remains limited, with most research focused on improving membranes and catalysts. However, the design and morphology of porous transport layers (PTLs), a key component in this system, remain less explored and not sufficiently understood. Herein, we address the fabrication of nanoporous spongy architectures on a variety of Ni-based PTLs, including felts, foams, and micropillar structures, by controlled thermochemical redox treatments. A wide range of oxidation and reduction conditions is systematically investigated using ex situ and in situ microscopic analyses to identify optimal configurations of the architecture. The spongy Ni felts show superior electrochemical performance in AEMWEs compared to bare felt, with an ∼2 times higher current density at 2.0 V, a reduced ohmic overpotential of ∼18 mV, a kinetic overpotential of ∼26 mV, and a significant decrease in mass-transport overpotential of ∼93 mV at 0.5 A cm−2.
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BibTeX
@article{bera2026nanoarchitecturing,
title = {{Nano-architecturing electroactive porous transport layers to reduce voltage losses in anion-exchange membrane electrolyzers}},
author = {Susanta Bera and Ameya Ranade and Dimitrios Zagoraios and Diwakar Kashyap and Pramod Patil Kunturu and Victor Trillaud and Philippe Vernoux and Mihalis Tsampas},
journal = {Cell Reports Physical Science},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103413},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05677069v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Nano-architecturing electroactive porous transport layers to reduce voltage losses in anion-exchange membrane electrolyzers
AU - Susanta Bera
AU - Ameya Ranade
AU - Dimitrios Zagoraios
AU - Diwakar Kashyap
AU - Pramod Patil Kunturu
AU - Victor Trillaud
AU - Philippe Vernoux
AU - Mihalis Tsampas
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/29
JO - Cell Reports Physical Science
DO - 10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103413
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05677069v1
AB - Anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) offer a promising pathway for sustainable hydrogen production. Despite notable progress, overall system efficiency remains limited, with most research focused on improving membranes and catalysts. However, the design and morphology of porous transport layers (PTLs), a key component in this system, remain less explored and not sufficiently understood. Herein, we address the fabrication of nanoporous spongy architectures on a variety of Ni-based PTLs, including felts, foams, and micropillar structures, by controlled thermochemical redox treatments. A wide range of oxidation and reduction conditions is systematically investigated using ex situ and in situ microscopic analyses to identify optimal configurations of the architecture. The spongy Ni felts show superior electrochemical performance in AEMWEs compared to bare felt, with an ∼2 times higher current density at 2.0 V, a reduced ohmic overpotential of ∼18 mV, a kinetic overpotential of ∼26 mV, and a significant decrease in mass-transport overpotential of ∼93 mV at 0.5 A cm−2.
SN - 2666-3864
ER -