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Water electrolysis powered by renewable energy is a promising technology which can produce green H 2 with no direct CO 2 emissions. The US Department of Energy has set an ambitious target to bring down the cost of green H 2 to 1 per kg within the next decade. To drive the innovation required to meet this target, it is essential we understand catalyst behavior in realistic zero gap membrane based electrolyzers operating at industrially relevant current densities. Towards this goal, we have developed methodologies for conducting high-resolution X-ray absorption spectroscopy at current densities of 2 A cm -2 in a synchrotron-compatible electrolyzer. This innovation enabled us to track dynamic changes in Ir oxidation during sustained operation of a realistic proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE). The hardware and techniques developed are also widely applicable to other types of electrolyzers and fuel cells.
Hannagan et al. (Fri,) studied this question.