Welcome to the Electrochemistry Laboratory (LEC)
The Electrochemistry Laboratory (LEC), established 1988, is part of the Energy and Environment Research Division (ENE) at the Paul Scherrer Institute. The laboratory comprises 5 interacting research groups that deal with almost all aspects of electrochemical energy storage and conversion. PSI’s Electrochemistry Laboratory is Switzerland’s largest Center for Electrochemical Research.
Lab News & Scientific Highlights
Unraveling degradation processes in a bipolar membrane CO2 electrolyzer by time-resolved X-ray tomographic microscopy
Employing a bipolar ion conducting membrane (BPM) in forward bias is a convenient solution for the biggest issues in the more common anion exchange membrane (AEM) CO2 co-electrolysis: the degradation of the performance caused by carbonate salt precipitation at the cathode and the decrease of net CO2 conversion caused by the crossover of this molecule from cathode to anode also requiring energy for downstream gas separation. However, the performance and stability of this device remain largely insufficient when using such a BPM configuration. To understand the reasons for this, we performed time-resolved X-ray tomographic microscopy of an operating BPM CO2 electrolyzer. The imaging method reveals partly unexpected degradation processes that result in design recommendations for improvement.
Insights into the superior oxygen evolution reaction activity of CoOx/CeO2 composite electrocatalyst
CeO2 significantly enhances the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of CoOx, although the mechanism behind this synergy is still unclear. Here, operando hard X-ray absorption spectroscopy (hXAS) is applied to monitor the Co-K edge and Ce L3 edge in CoOx/CeO2 to shed light on the evolution of Co and Ce oxidation states during OER. In addition, ex situ soft XAS (sXAS) characterizations provide information on the irreversible surface-specific transformations of the Co L3 edge as well as the O K edge.
Quantification of PEFC Catalyst Layer Saturation via Small-Angle X‑ray Scattering
The complex nature of liquid water saturation in polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) catalyst layers (CLs) greatly affects the device performance. To investigate this problem, a method to quantify the presence of liquid water in a PEFC CL using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was developed in a collaboration of researchers of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM, Berlin, Germany), the Photon Science Division and the Electrochemistry Laboratory of PSI. The method leverages the differences in electron densities between the solid catalyst matrix and the CL-pores filled with liquid water under dry and wet conditions, respectively.
Upcoming Events
LEC on TV and Radio
Paul Scherrer Institut entwickelt Akku der Zukunft
Swiss Radio: SRF Regionaljournal Aargau Solothurn, May 8, 2017, 17:30h
Knopfbatterien im Test: Enorme Preisunterschiede
Swiss TV: Kassensturz, January 17, 2017, 21:10h
Die Renaissance der Batterie
Swiss TV: Einstein, November 26, 2015, 21:07h
Mobilität ohne Treibhausgase
Swiss TV: Einstein, November 21, 2013, 21:07h
Wasserstofftankstellen für die Schweiz?
Swiss TV: Einstein, November 21, 2013, 21:07h