Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research (IC&SR) , IIT Madras
A Separator Electrode Assembly with Novel Separator and a Bifunctional Catalyst Material
Technology Category/Market
Technology: A separator & a Bifunctional catalyst material used in water electrolysis technology.
Industry: Green Energy/Clean Energy, Electro-Chemical; Applications: H2 production, Power plant, Electronics & PVs, Steel Plants, Energy storage.
Market: The global water electrolysis market size is projected to be valued $9.318B by 2030, at a CAGR of 6.0% during forecast period (2022-2030).
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Problem Statement
- In the water electrolysis technology, the prior electrolyzers use membranes/separators & DI water for operation. These membranes or separators are expensive and use of DI water results in depletion of water source.
- So, there is a demand to use natural water resources such as seawater or ground water.
- The major challenges of sea water electrolysis observed in many prior arts are chlorine corrosion, impurities & multiple ions present in the water.
- There are also several ion adsorption on the cathode & anode surface further make both Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) & Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) sluggish.
- Hence, there is a requirement to introduce novel catalysts & separator to mitigate above challenges & other issues.
Technology
- Present invention describes a separator electrode assembly (SEA) for water electrolyzer (FIG. 1).
- Further, the present invention explains about a method of preparing bifunctional catalyst material.
- Present invention provides a separator electrode assembly for a water electrolyzer wherein the assembly comprises a separator sandwiched between an anode & a cathode.
- The separator is a cellulose based material in combination with synthetic polymer-based material.
- The anode and cathode are formed by coating a bifunctional catalyst material on a non-metal substrate.
Key Features/Value Proposition
Technical Perspective:
- Present separator electrode assembly is a zero-gap, single flow cell membrane-less separator electrode assembly for the water electrolyzer.
- The catalyst material is employed in Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER), Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER), Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR), Alkaline fuel cell, battery, or Electrochemical sensor.
- Selectively produce oxygen at the anode over hypochlorite & hydrogen production at the cathode on electrolysis of sea water.
- The bifunctional catalyst material is a transition metal-metal oxide-carbon nanocomposite.
- The assembly electrolyzes natural water, selected from tap water, ground water, or sea water.
Industrial Perspective:
- Present patent discloses separator electrode assembly which is cost effective & simple in design for scale up production.
- The process of preparing bifunctional catalyst material is sustainable & cost-effective.
Questions about this Technology?
Contact for Licensing
Research Lab
Prof. Ramaprabhu S
Department of Physics
Intellectual Property
- IITM IDF Ref. 2501
- Patent Application No: 202341034478
Technology Readiness Level
TRL- 3/4
Proof of Concept ready & validated