Electrolyzers & Fuel Cells

Building an electrolyzer or fuel cell is a stack-integration problem — membrane chemistry, ionomer family, catalyst layer, current collector, and electrode additives all have to agree on pH, temperature, and water management before the cell will hit its rated current density. This section gathers every layer of that stack, from the membrane outward, plus the testing fixtures and pressing tooling you need to fabricate and screen MEAs reproducibly. Audience: PEM, AEM, alkaline, and solid-oxide researchers running benchtop single cells and short stacks.

Pick by where you are in the build:

• Membranes & MEA — PFSA cation-exchange films, quaternary-ammonium AEMs, bipolar laminates, and pre-built CCMs for PEMWE, AEMWE, AEMFC, and redox-flow work.
• Ionomers — long- and short-side-chain PFSA dispersions for acidic systems, and piperidinium / poly(phenylene) / imidazolium AEIs for alkaline and CO2RR catalyst layers.
• Anodes & Cathodes — Ni/YSZ fuel-side and LSC perovskite air-side materials for SOFC and SOEC, plus Ir / Ru / Pt PEM catalysts and Ni / Co-Fe / Ru alkaline catalysts.
• Electrode Additives — PTFE for GDL hydrophobicity, CNT and porous-carbon supports for electronic percolation, and ancillary additives that control calendaring and water transport.
• Current Collectors — carbon papers with MPL/PTFE for PEM, titanium PTLs and tantalum foils for OER-side acid, nickel felt for alkaline and AEM, silver mesh for intermediate-temperature SOFC.
• Electrolyte Additives — surfactants and ionic liquids that steer selectivity in aqueous CO2RR cells; primarily a battery-electrolyte collection, cross-linked here for CO2RR work.
• Testing Cells — FCDI, integrated reactive-capture, porous solid-electrolyte, and optically accessible flow electrolyzers for ion-separation and CO2RR screening.
• Accessories — coater consumables, rolling-press wear parts, and cell-format fixtures for fabricating MEAs and laminating GDL stacks.

If you are building a PEM water electrolyzer or PEMFC, start with PFSA membranes, PFSA ionomers, Ir / Pt catalysts, and carbon-paper or titanium current collectors. For AEM water electrolysis and AEMFC, pair quaternary-ammonium AEMs with piperidinium ionomers, non-precious catalysts, and nickel felt. For SOEC and SOFC, see the Ni/YSZ and perovskite electrode materials and the wider SOEC and SOFC section.