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Decoupled Electrochemical Water Splitting: From Fundamentals to Applications
Author(s) -
McHugh Patrick J.,
Stergiou Athanasios D.,
Symes Mark D.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced energy materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.08
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1614-6840
pISSN - 1614-6832
DOI - 10.1002/aenm.202002453
Subject(s) - water splitting , electrolysis of water , electrolysis , hydrogen production , oxygen evolution , renewable energy , electrochemistry , power to gas , hydrogen , process engineering , sustainable energy , materials science , electrolyte , environmental science , nanotechnology , electrode , chemistry , catalysis , engineering , electrical engineering , biochemistry , organic chemistry , photocatalysis
Electrolytic water splitting to generate hydrogen and oxygen is one of the most promising ways in which to harness intermittent renewable power sources and store the energy these provide as a clean‐burning and sustainable fuel. In recent years, this has led to an explosion in reports on electrochemical water splitting, most of them focused on improving the efficiency of the electrochemical reactions themselves. However, efficient generation of hydrogen and oxygen is of little use if these products cannot be kept separate and the community is now coming to realize that there are considerable challenges associated with maintaining adequate separation between H 2 and O 2 during electrolysis driven by intermittent renewable sources. Decoupled electrolysis (whereby oxygen production occurs with reduction of a suitable mediator and hydrogen production is then paired with the reoxidation of this mediator) offers a solution to many of these challenges by allowing O 2 and H 2 to be produced at different times, at different rates, and even in completely different electrochemical cells. In this review, an overview of recent progress in the field of decoupled electrolysis for water splitting is given and the potential that this approach has for enabling a range of other sustainable chemical processes is explored.