Integrated catalyst–transport nickel-iron porous electrode for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis

Abstract

Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis is an emerging technology for cost-effective hydrogen production, but its practical deployment is limited by inefficient electrode architectures that suffer from poor mass transport, inadequate interfacial contact within the assembled cell, and insufficient reliability. Here we show a high-performance and durable oxygen evolution electrode, a NiFe-based functionalized porous transport layer (NiFe-f-PTL), that integrates catalytic activity and porous transport functionality into a single structure with interfacial compatibility. Fabricated via a simple tape-casting process, this architecture minimizes interfacial resistance and enhances mass transport, resulting in a high current density of 6.73 A cm-2 at 1.8 Vcell under steady-state operation. It further demonstrates over 2142 hours of stable operation, maintaining structural integrity and catalytic activity. These results highlight the importance of electrode architecture at the membrane electrode assembly level and provide a scalable strategy for developing reliable and high-performance anion exchange membrane water electrolysis systems.