Tracing Resistances of Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer during Long-term Stability Tests

In this study, an anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) cell was operated for ~1000 h at a voltage bias of 1.95 V. Impedance spectra were regularly measured every ~ 100 h, and changes in the ohmic and non-ohmic resistance were traced as a function of time. While there was relatively little change in the I-V curves and the total cell resistance during the long-term test, we observed various electrochemical phenomena in the cell: 1) initial activation with a decrease in both ohmic and non-ohmic resistance; 2) momentary and non-permanent bubble resistance (non-ohmic resistance) depending on the voltage bias, and 3) membrane degradation with a slight increase in the ohmic resistance. Thus, the regular test protocol used in this study provided clear insights into the performance degradation (or improvement) mechanism of AEMWE cells.