Nickel fiber felts, Ni fibers, Ni Felts. 0.25mm 0.5mm 0.8mmm Thickness 50% 60% 70% 80% 85% 90% High porosity nickel porous felts.
The nickel fiber felt plays the following main roles in an AEM (Anion Exchange Membrane) electrolyzer:
(1)As an electrode substrate
- Providing stable support: The nickel fiber felt has a certain strength and flexibility, which can provide a stable supporting structure for the active materials on the electrode. It ensures that the electrode maintains a good shape during the operation of the electrolyzer, is not prone to deformation or damage, and can work stably for a long time.
- Increasing active sites: Its three-dimensional network structure provides a large specific surface area, which is beneficial for the loading of active materials. It enables more active materials to be evenly distributed on its surface, increasing the active sites of the electrode, thereby improving the catalytic efficiency of the electrode for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). For example, through a simple one-step impregnation method, a nickel-based bimetallic hydroxide nanoflower oxygen evolution electrode can be grown on the nickel fiber felt substrate. The petals of this nanoflower structure extend outward, producing a “tip effect”, which is more conducive to the exposure of catalytic active sites.
- Enhancing electrical conductivity: Nickel itself has good electrical conductivity. As a substrate, the nickel fiber felt can endow the electrode with high electrical conductivity, which can quickly and effectively transfer electrons, reduce the resistance of the electrode, and minimize ohmic losses, thus improving the overall efficiency of the electrolyzer. This allows the water electrolysis reaction to proceed efficiently under a relatively small applied voltage.
(2)As a gas diffusion layer
- Facilitating gas diffusion: The porous structure of the nickel fiber felt is conducive to the diffusion and transmission of gases. During the electrolysis process, oxygen is generated at the anode and hydrogen is generated at the cathode. These gases need to be timely diffused from the electrode surface into the electrolyte and discharged from the electrolyzer. The pores of the nickel fiber felt provide channels for the gases, enabling the gases to pass through smoothly and preventing the gases from accumulating on the electrode surface, thus improving the gas diffusion efficiency and helping to maintain the continuous progress of the electrolysis reaction.
- Optimizing gas-liquid distribution: Its porous characteristics can make the electrolyte evenly distributed on the electrode surface. At the same time, it can effectively separate gases and liquids, preventing the gases from entering the electrolyte flow channels and affecting the performance of the electrolyzer. It ensures a reasonable distribution of gas and liquid within the electrolyzer and improves the operational stability of the electrolyzer.
(3)Enhancing corrosion resistance: Nickel has a strong passivation ability and can quickly form an extremely thin passivation film on its surface, which can resist the corrosion of the atmosphere, alkalis, and certain acids. In the weakly alkaline environment of the AEM electrolyzer, the nickel fiber felt can maintain good chemical stability and is not easily corroded, thus extending the service life of the electrolyzer. Compared with other materials used as diffusion layers or electrode substrates, the nickel fiber felt exhibits better passivation ability on the anode side of the AEM electrolyzer and can better adapt to the working environment of the electrolyzer.
(4)Reducing contact resistance: Compared with materials such as nickel metal mesh, the nickel fiber felt has a larger specific surface area and has more sufficient contact with the anion exchange membrane. It can reduce the contact resistance between the electrode and the membrane, which is conducive to the transfer of ions between the electrode and the membrane, and further improves the efficiency of the electrolyzer.
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