Characterization of degradation of iridium oxide and water distribution within proton exchange membrane of water electrolyzers

Understanding degradation of iridium oxide (IrOx) as the electrocatalyst of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in water electrolyzer is crucial to overcome the current challenge in water electrolyzer commercialization. Electrolyzers currently use high loadings of IrOx to compensate for the loss of IrOx during operation due to degradation. To enable smaller stacks that are more cost competitive with less IrOx use, operation at higher current densities (higher H2 production rates) is desirable. However, at these high current densities (>10 A/cm2) proton exchange membrane (PEM) can suffer from local dehydration, especially at the stack outlets. The main goal of this project is to understand degradation of IrOx by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the water distribution in PEM by using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) while operating electrolyzers at high current density (~10 A/cm2).