February 19, 2024
Introduction to Alkaline Electrolyzer Electrode
Alkaline water electrolysis is the leading green hydrogen-acquiring method in the current hydrogen production market. Its core production device, the electrolyzer, has attracted many forces to enter the market and promote the advancement of alkaline electrolyzers. Electrodes as the important components of alkaline electrolyzers account for about 30% of the cost. This article will introduce in detail the base materials and functions of alkaline electrolyzer electrodes.
Components of Alkaline Electrolyzer
The alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production system mainly includes the main body of the alkaline electrolyzer and the BOP (Balance of Plant) auxiliary system. The main body of the alkaline electrolyzer is assembled from components such as end pressure plates, sealing gaskets, plates, alkaline electrolyzer electrodes, and diaphragms. You can see the functions of each component from the following table.
| Component | Plate and Frame | Diaphragm | Alkaline Electrolyzer Electrodes |
| Main Function | supports electrodes and separators to conduct electricity | prevents gas mixing | promotes the electrochemical reaction,determines the efficiency of hydrogen production |
| Performance Requests | resistant to high concentration alkali corrosion | ensures that hydrogen and oxygen molecules cannot pass through the separator, but allow electrolyte ions to pass; resistant to high concentration alkali corrosion; with good mechanical strength; porosity is as high as possible; diaphragms remain chemically stable under electrolysis temperatures and caustic conditions | alkali resistance, high temperature resistance, large surface area |
| Material | cast iron metal plate, nickel plate or stainless steel plate | asbestos diaphragm, polytetrafluoroethylene resin modified asbestos diaphragm, polyphenylene sulfide diaphragm, polysulfone diaphragm, polyether ether ketone diaphragm | generally uses nickel based materials, such as pure nickel mesh, foam nickel or sprayed with catalyst) |
Function and Material of Alkaline Electrolyzer Electrode
The electrode is the place where electrochemical reactions occur in an alkaline electrolyzer. Therefore it determines the efficiency of hydrogen production in the electrolyzer. At present, alkaline electolyzer electrodes use nickel-based materials, mostly using pure nickel mesh or foam nickel as the base material coated with highly active catalysts to improve electrolysis efficiency.
Presently, domestic nickel mesh and nickel foam products are mature and cheap. Among them, nickel mesh is generally made of 40~60 mesh nickel wire mesh after being cut into circles. The diameter of the nickel wire is about 200μm, which has good acid resistance, alkali resistance, high temperature resistance and other properties.
The interior of the nickel foam product is filled with a large number of micropores, which greatly increases the contact area between the solution and the electrode and improves the efficiency of the electrolysis reaction.
Catalysts used to improve reaction efficiency are mainly divided into two types: highly active nickel-based catalysts (including Raney nickel, activated nickel aluminum powder, etc.) and catalysts containing precious metals (platinum-based catalysts, etc.).
Currently, raney nickel (average specific surface area is about 100m 2 /g) is mainly used in China as a catalyst, which can further increase the specific surface area of the electrode and increase the current density to improve reaction efficiency. Get to know the surface treatment of nickel meshes for alkaline electrolyzers here and learn the factors that affect hydrogen production efficiency.
Recommended Nickel Mesh Specifications for Alkaline Electrolyzer Electrode
| WOVEN NICKEL MESH | ||||
| OVERALL WIDTH (m) | OVERALL LENGTH (m) | WIRE DIAMETER (mm) | MESH NO.S PER INCH | MESH SIZE (C2C) (mm) |
| ≤ 2 | ≤ 300 | 0.50 | 10 no.s | 2.540 |
| 0.35 | 20 no.s | 1.270 | ||
| 0.15 | 30 no.s | 0.847 | ||
| 0.35 | 30 no.s | 0.847 | ||
| 0.12 | 40 no.s | 0.635 | ||
| 0.15 | 50 no.s | 0.508 | ||
| 0.20 | 50 no.s | 0.508 | ||
| 0.12 | 60 no.s | 0.423 | ||
| 0.25 | 60 no.s | 0.423 | ||
| 0.10 | 80 no.s | 0.318 | ||
| 0.18 | 80 no.s | 0.318 | ||
| 0.10 | 100 no.s | 0.254 | ||
| 0.15 | 100 no.s | 0.254 | ||
| 0.08 | 120 no.s | 0.212 | ||
| 0.06 | 150 no.s | 0.169 | ||
| 0.06 | 180 no.s | 0.141 | ||
| 0.05 | 200 no.s | 0.127 | ||
| 0.05 | 250 no.s | 0.102 | ||
| 0.04 | 300 no.s | 0.085 | ||
| 0.03 | 350 no.s | 0.073 | ||
| 0.03 | 400 no.s | 0.064 | ||
| SURFACE TREATMENT | NONE PLASMA SPRAY (50%ALUMINUM + 50% NICKEL) PLASMA SPRAY (20%ALUMINUM + 80% NICKEL) PLASMA SPRAY (80%ALUMINUM + 20% NICKEL) | |||
| EXPANDED NICKEL MESH | |||||
| OVERALL WIDTH (m) | OVERALL LENGTH (m) | LWD (mm) | SWD (mm) | SHEET THICKNESS (mm) | STRAND WIDTH (mm) |
| ≤ 1.52 | ≤ 11.92 | 1.50 | 0.80 | 0.25 | 0.25 |
| 1.60 | 0.80 | 0.05 | 0.10 | ||
| 2.00 | 1.00 | 0.10 | 0.15 | ||
| 2.00 | 1.00 | 0.25 | 0.25 | ||
| 2.00 | 1.00 | 0.30 | 0.35 | ||
| 2.50 | 1.50 | 0.20 | 0.25 | ||
| 4.00 | 2.00 | 0.40 | 0.45 | ||
| 6.00 | 3.00 | 1.00 | 1.20 | ||
| SURFACE TREATMENT | NONE PLASMA SPRAY (50%ALUMINUM + 50% NICKEL) PLASMA SPRAY (20%ALUMINUM + 80% NICKEL) PLASMA SPRAY (80%ALUMINUM + 20% NICKEL) FLATENING IS AVAILABLE | ||||
NHGT is a professional nickel mesh factory supplying high-purity woven and expanded nickel meshes for hydrogen production industries. We are equipped with 8 woven nickel mesh machines and 10 production lines for expanded nickel mesh in the dust-free workshop.
Powerful productivity guarantees an average monthly supply of 200,000 square meters (90,000 sqm for woven nickel mesh and 110,000 sqm for expanded nickel mesh). We are confident in continuously providing large quantities of nickel wire mesh without delay.
If you are looking for a reliable nickel mesh manufacturer for alkaline water electrolysers, please don’t hesitate to contact us info@nickelgreen.com or call us directly at +86 13231116517.
2 Comments
Yme DikkerboomFebruary 19, 2024
Dear sir/madam,
Can i use freely the pictures from your site for education purposes?
I will mention your company name.
Best regards, Yme Dikkerboom (teacher)
CatherineFebruary 19, 2024
Dear Yme,
It’s pleasant to get your message. You may use our pictures freely for educational purposes and we’d appreciate it if you mention us and let more people know about NHGT in the future. Meanwhile, if you have any experiments requiring nickel mesh samples, please feel free to contact us.
