Green Hydrogen Production by Low-Temperature Membrane-Engineered Water Electrolyzers, and Regenerative Fuel Cells

Green hydrogen (H-2) is an essential component of global plans to reduce carbon emissions from hard-to-abate industries and heavy transport. However, challenges remain in the highly efficient H-2 production from water electrolysis powered by renewable energies. The sluggish oxygen evolution restrains the H-2 production from water splitting. Rational electrocatalyst designs for highly efficient H-2 production and oxygen evolution are pivotal for water electrolysis. With the development of high-performance electrolyzers, the scale-up of H-2 production to an industrial-level related activity can be achieved. This review summarizes recent advances in water electrolysis such as the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) and anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer (AEMWE). The critical challenges for PEMWE and AEMWE are the high cost of noble-metal catalysts and their durability, respectively. This review highlights the anode and cathode designs for improving the catalytic performance of electrocatalysts, the electrolyte and membrane engineering for membrane electrode assembly (MEA) optimizations, and stack systems for the most promising electrolyzers in water electrolysis. Besides, the advantages of integrating water electrolyzers, fuel cells (FC), and regenerative fuel cells (RFC) into the hydrogen ecosystem are introduced. Finally, the perspective of electrolyzer designs with superior performance is presented.