DURAION® membran
The global net-zero targets for 2050 require a fundamental transformation of our industries. Many sectors can be electrified and thus decarbonised by switching to electricity from renewable energy sources. However, there are industries that cannot be electrified so easily, or at all, such as steel production or the chemical industry, which requires hydrogen as a raw material. These core sectors of our economy simply cannot be decarbonised without the use of green hydrogen.
The enormous demand from these industries is the driving force behind a future green hydrogen market: the large-scale expansion of electrolysis capacity. However, the critical hurdle to this ramp-up today is economic viability – green hydrogen must be producible on an industrial scale and at competitive costs.
DURAION® for AEM electrolysis
DURAION® is at the heart of AEM electrolysers – and the key to making green hydrogen economically viable on an industrial scale.
With the anion-conducting DURAION® membrane – or AEM for short – the Evonik Innovation Factory has developed a key technological component that addresses precisely this issue. This development has been supported by strong strategic partnerships and flagship projects, such as those within the H2 Giga consortium. In electrolysis, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen using electrical energy. The use of the DURAION® membrane in AEM electrolysis provides the technological basis for breaking down the economic barriers to the hydrogen economy of the future.
Over 10 years ago, researchers at the Evonik Innovation Factory began developing the monomers for the DURAION® material platform. Following intensive screening and optimisation of the polymer properties, early membrane samples (Minimum Viable Product) were tested both internally and externally. In the years that followed, the laboratory team, together with specialists from Evonik High-Performance Polymers, drove forward technological development and scale-up. Today, we are already manufacturing DURAION® on an industrial scale: with a coating width of 100 cm, we have the capacity to supply up to 2.5 GW of electrolysis power annually.
Advantages of AEM electrolysis
AEM electrolysis can reduce capital and operating costs compared to established processes such as PEM electrolysis (proton exchange membrane electrolysis) and conventional alkaline electrolysis (AEL). As operation takes place under slightly alkaline conditions, the use of precious metal catalysts is not strictly necessary, and cost-effective materials can be used in the cell design.
Unlike AEL, AEM electrolysis can be operated at higher current densities and controlled dynamically. This results in a high degree of flexibility for integration with fluctuating renewable energy sources.
Despite these advantages, AEM electrolysis has so far failed to achieve a commercial breakthrough. The reason for this was that no membranes were available that combined high ionic conductivity with excellent mechanical stability and chemical resistance throughout their entire service life. Our DURAION® membrane meets these requirements and also exhibits low hydrogen crossover (diffusion of hydrogen to the oxygen side).
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