A zero-gap silicon membrane with defined pore size and porosity for alkaline electrolysis

Abstract

Porous separators are a key component in alkaline water electrolyzers and are significant sources of overpotential. In this paper, porous silicon separators were fabricated by etching precise arrays of cylindrical pores into silicon substrates through lithography. Chemical stability of the silicon-based separators is ensured through the deposition of a silicon nitride layer. Platinum or nickel were vapor-deposited directly on the faces of the separator to complete a zero-gap configuration. Separator porosity (ε) was varied by changing the pore diameter and the pore spacing. These well-controlled porous silicon zero gap electrodes (PSi-ZGEs) were used to study the trade-off between separator resistance and gas-crossover at different porosities. It was found that separator resistances comparable to commercially used Zirfon UTP 500 were achieved at much lower ε. Gas crossover remained within the explosive limits for ε ≤ 0.15%. The PSi-ZGEs achieved stable performance at 100 mA cm⁻² for 24 hours without significant surface damage in the alkaline electrolyte. In the broad perspective, the current work can pave the path for the development of ionomer-free separators for alkaline water electrolysis which rely on the separator geometry to limit gas-crossover.