Sign up for our newsletter!
Your data will be handled in compliance with our privacy policy.
Vertically aligned carbon nanofibers promise more cost-efficient PEM water electrolyzers
Research paper published in the proceedings at ICE 2021, the 3rd International Conference on Electrolysis June 20 – 23, 2022 Golden, Colorado USA.
PEMWE is recognized as a key technology for sustainable hydrogen production. However, the necessity of using platinum group metals (PGMs) as catalysts sets up a barrier for establishing GW-scale systems. Especially on the anode side for oxygen evolution, the loading of iridium catalyst must be reduced significantly from currently 2 mgIr cm‑2 to 0.05 mgIr cm‑2 level to enable large scale application of PEMWE [1]. Even though substantial progress has been made, there remain tremendous challenges to make PEMWE work at ultra-low loadings in practice.
Vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (CNF) create low-tortuosity conducting 3D nanostructures over porous transport layers (PTLs), acting as supports for ultra-low loading of iridium catalyst with non-compromised performance. Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is envisaged to be more efficient using such advanced PTLs.
Read more on: https://learn.mines.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ICE2021_ProgramComplete01.with-links.6.17.22.pdf (page 24–25).
Sign up for our newsletter!
Your data will be handled in compliance with our privacy policy.
Related news and insights
Carbon nanofibers in the semiconductor industry
With our carbon nanofibers (CNFs) fabrication technology, we develop advanced packing solutions and ultra-miniaturized capacitors for use in the semiconductor industry.
What is a carbon nanofiber (CNF)?
Carbon nanofibers is a supermaterial. It is stronger, more elastic, and lighter than steel. It conducts heat and electricity better than metals. And it can be used to thousandfold the surface of materials. Let’s take a closer look at these tiny fellows.
Miniaturized capacitors with carbon nanofibers
Smoltek has developed the world’s thinnest discrete capacitor. You have to stack ten of them on top of each other to reach the same height as today’s industry-standard when it comes to surface-mounted capacitors. The most amazing thing about this microscopic capacitor is its performance. One square millimeter has a capacitance of a whopping 650 nanofarads (650 nF/mm2). Read on for more details.
Smoltek—from carbon nanofibers to mind-controlled robotic prostheses
Smoltek holds unique world patents for technologies that make material engineering on an atomic level possible. Smoltek has solutions that allow continued miniaturization and increased performance of semiconductors, contribute to carbon-free steel production and renewable energy storage, and enable mind control of robotic prostheses. This is a story of how Smoltek came to be.
Operational update on the activities in Smoltek Semi
A main goal for Smoltek Semi is to develop an industrial process for mass production of discrete CNF-MIM capacitors at contract manufacturers (foundry), including a specially designed machine for large-scale production of carbon nanofibers.
Carbon nanomaterial-based interconnects, integrated capacitors and supercapacitors
PhD thesis, Chalmers Univeristy of Technology, 2017.