Researchers were able to perform water electrolysis without using the expensive membrane placed between the electrodes in conventional systems. Image Source: EPFL/Jamani CailletResearchers at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have discovered how to perform water electrolysis to create hydrogen without using the membrane placed between the electrodes in conventional systems.

The researchers developed a process for producing hydrogen through a simplified water electrolysis system. By playing with the balance between fluid mechanic forces, the researchers showed that it was possible to do without the often expensive membrane that sits between the electrodes in the traditional systems.

The EPFL scientists placed the electrodes less than a few hundred micrometers apart in a microfluid device. According to their paper published in Energy and Environmental Science, when the liquid moves above a certain speed between the electrodes, the gases are pushed in opposite directions - thanks to the lift forces caused by an effect known as Segré-Silberberg effect — without the need for a membrane to guide them. In a traditional system, the two electrodes are submerged in water and separated by a polymer membrane. An electric current then is sent through the cathode and travels to the other anode.

The new process may enable the production of devices that work with all types of liquid electrolytes or catalysts, since there is reduced risk of damaging the components due to a highly acidic environment.