Recently, the research teams led by ICARE Chinese supervisors Professor TU Zhengkai and Associate Professor LI Song from the School of Energy and Power Engineering, together with the team of Professor XIONG Wei from the School of Optical and Electronic Information, achieved significant progress in the field of proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis for hydrogen production.

The research findings, entitled “Laser Co-Patterning Redefines Interface Engineering for High-Efficiency and Durable Water Electrolysis”, were published online on April 12 in the academic journal Advanced Energy Materials (Impact Factor: 26).

This study proposes, for the first time, a laser co-patterning strategy capable of simultaneously patterning both the GDL-CL and PEM-CL interfaces within a single electrolyzer, combined with acid treatment to restore and enhance proton conductivity in the PEM. The objective is to construct continuous interfacial mass-transport pathways, thereby achieving breakthroughs in both the efficiency and durability of water electrolysis performance.

Mr. Long Chen, a postgraduate student from ICARE, is a co-first author of this work. The research was conducted in collaboration with the Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics at Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Professor Christian Beauger from Mines Paris-PSL, France.

This innovative strategy successfully improves interfacial transport performance and enhances the long-term operational stability of PEM water electrolysis systems. The study provides a new approach for the design of high-efficiency and durable hydrogen production technologies and offers important perspectives for the industrial development of green hydrogen energy.

The collaboration also highlights the strong international scientific cooperation between Chinese and European research teams in the field of clean energy technologies. By combining expertise in materials science, electrochemistry, laser processing, and system engineering, the project demonstrates the interdisciplinary research capabilities developed within ICARE and its partner institutions.

DOI link:
https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aenm.70947