EFFECT OF COMPRESSION FORCE IN THE FABRICATION OF MEMBRANE ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY BY DECAL METHOD FOR PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE WATER ELECTROLYZER

Abstract

Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is a promising technique for producing high-purity hydrogen without using fossil fuels. The outstanding advantage of PEMWE is that it is combined with renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, etc. to produce green hydrogen. The most important part in a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer is the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The performance of PEMWE is mainly determined by the properties of the MEA. In this paper, the authors studied the preparation of the anode catalyst layer by ink spray technique on a teflon substrate in the fabrication of MEA by decal method. This is the most advanced method that allows the fabrication of MEAs that are both of good quality and easy to perform. The pressing conditions were studied, tested and evaluated, thereby providing the optimal pressing parameters for the fabrication of MEA and then applying MEA to the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer, running tests at different current densities and achieving the minimum potential value of 1.708 V at a current density of 1 A/cm2.