Magnetron Sputtered Low-Platinum Loading Electrode as HER Catalyst for PEM Electrolysis

Abstract

The development of cost-effective components for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzers plays a crucial role in the transformation of renewable energy into hydrogen. To achieve this goal, two main issues should be addressed: reducing the Platinum Group Metal (PGM) content present on the electrodes and finding a large-scale electrode manufacturing method. Magnetron sputtering could solve these hurdles since it allows the production of highly pure thin films in a single-step process and is a well-established industrial and automated technique for thin film deposition. In this work, we have developed an ultra-low 0.1 mg cm−2 Pt loading electrode using magnetron sputtering gas aggregation method (MSGA), directly depositing the Pt nanoparticles on top of the carbon substrate, followed by a complete evaluation of the electrochemical properties of the sputtered electrode. These ultra-low Pt content electrodes have been thoroughly characterized and tested in a real electrolyzer cell. They demonstrate similar efficiency to commercial electrodes with a Pt content of 0.3 mg/cm2, achieving a 67% reduction in Pt loading. Additionally, durability tests indicate that these electrodes offer greater stability compared to their commercial counterparts. Thus, magnetron sputtering has been proven as a promising technology for manufacturing optimum high-performance electrodes at an industrial scale.