Multi-scale Structural Characteristics and Efficiency Analysis of Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis Hydrogen Production Technology

Driven by the global energy transition and carbon neutrality goals, proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) technology has become the core technology for large-scale hydrogen production due to its advantages of high efficiency (74%-87%), fast response (millisecond level), and high-purity hydrogen production (99.999%). However, the industrialization process is limited by key bottlenecks such as the high cost of precious metal catalysts, the high cost of titanium-based bipolar plates, and the system investment cost. Based on the multi-scale analysis framework, we proposed a gradient catalytic layer design to reduce the precious metal load by 30%-50%, an ultra-thin proton exchange membrane (<50μm) to optimize the mechanical and chemical stability, and a three- dimensional corrugated flow field structure to reduce the two-phase flow resistance by 20%-35% and improve the current density uniformity by 40%. The research results provide a theoretical basis and technical solution for breaking through the cost and efficiency bottleneck of PEMWE technology, and promote its large-scale commercial application.