2520
3D Printed Electrodes for Membraneless Electrolyzers

Tuesday, 15 May 2018
Ballroom 6ABC (Washington State Convention Center)
J. C. Bui, J. T. Davis, E. S. Cousens, and D. V. Esposito (Columbia University)
In the past decade, the field of additive manufacturing (3D printing) has grown significantly. New techniques and materials are constantly being explored, and novel applications of these technologies have been a focus of a multitude of recent scientific research. Another field that is experiencing a concurrent trajectory of growth is that of solar fuels, which broadly encompasses technologies that convert solar energy into storable gaseous or liquid fuels. Hydrogen (H2) is an appealing carbon-free fuel, as it can be sustainably produced through water electrolysis with electricity from photovoltaics. Unfortunately, state of the art electrolyzers have prohibitive capital costs and are prone to degradation. Motivated by this challenge, our group seeks to lower capital costs by developing simplified electrolyzer devices which operate without a membrane. One method of realizing such devices is through the utilization of additive manufacturing. In this study, we use additive manufacturing to fabricate flow-through electrodes printed from a conductive graphene-polymer composite filament. The performance of a series of electrodes is evaluated through a combination of electroanalytical measurements and in situ high speed video imaging. This work sets the stage for monolithic electrochemical reactors made entirely by additive manufacturing technologies.