What Is the Electrolysis of Water?

Water electrolysis is a chemical experiment. It is understood that water is composed of two elements, hydrogen and oxygen, through water decomposition and synthesis experiments. The main supplies are Huffman electrolyzers, DC power supplies (or lead-acid batteries), wires, test tubes, alcohol lamps, gas measuring tubes, induction coils, electric keys, iron stands, iron clips, gas cylinders, glass sinks, etc.

Electrolyzed water production of hydrogen and oxygen is a well-known technology. The basic principle is that water is converted into gaseous hydrogen and oxygen by direct current power, which is the reverse process of fuel cells. Nicholson and Carlisle first demonstrated the water electrolysis process in 1800. Faraday clarified the principle of water electrolysis in 1934 and proposed the concept of "electrolysis". The production of hydrogen from water for electrolysis was first started in 1902 by Oerlikon Engineering.

Depending on the operating temperature, there are two main types of electrolyzers: low temperature electrolysis technology and high temperature electrolysis. LTE is divided into two types: alkaline electrolyzer and proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. Both of them have been commercialized and can achieve about 75% energy efficiency. The alkaline water electrolysis technology using potassium hydroxide aqueous solution (OH-) as the electrolyte is a mature technology, occupying most of the market of commercial water electrolyzers. The main research and development problem in the future is to reduce the electrolytic equipment while improving energy efficiency. cost. Alkaline electrolyte membrane is under development, and its success will bring great progress to water electrolysis technology. ^[1]

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Japan has developed a solid polymer water electrolysis process that can use fluororesin-based ion exchange membranes as solid electrolytes for proton conductors. Because the solid polymer electrolyte is thinned, the resistance of the electrolyte becomes smaller, which is advantageous for electrolytic operation at high current density.

If using a solid oxide electrolyte. It is possible to apply the high-temperature water electrolysis process i using water vapor. This process theory has a small decomposition voltage and a small amount of electrical energy, especially the overpotential as resistance to the electrolytic reaction. Therefore, it can be expected to be an electrolytic method having the highest efficiency and electrolytic operation at the lowest cell voltage.

In the solid polymer water electrolysis cell developed in Japan, the cathode is a graphite electrode material coated with platinum, the anode is an iridium-based alloy and iridium oxide, and the gap between the assembly with the ion exchange membrane is 150-300um, thereby achieving high efficiency. The cathode substrate is graphite. Most of the anode substrate uses titanium. ^[2]