Structural Tuning of Self‐Conductive Polymer as Gas Diffusion Layer for Electrocatalytic Reactions at High Current

Abstract Electrocatalytic conversions offer a promising route for sustainable chemical production using renewable energy. Gas diffusion layers (GDLs) enable selective product formation at high current densities but suffer from electrolyte flooding, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)‐based GDLs typically require metal conductive layers, which constrain catalyst development. A recently developed GDL configuration, electropolymerized poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)‐coated PTFE, demonstrates notable flooding resistance, but suffers from gas diffusion limitations at elevated currents due to limited gas diffusion through the PEDOT layer. Here, different dopants in PEDOT are exploited to modify the physical properties and enhance gas transport. ClO 4 − ‐doped PEDOT exhibits superior performance due to optimized physical structure, leading to increased gas permeance and faradaic efficiency (FE) for CO production during electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction. Further optimization of coverage and thickness achieved by adjusting charge density led to an optimal configuration at 33 mC cm −2 . This GDL supports various metal electrocatalysts and demonstrates FE CO of > 90% for over 150 h at −200 mA cm − 2 using a commercial silver electrocatalyst. This work highlights the importance of GDL engineering in enhancing performance and durability for long‐term electrocatalytic processes.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Energy Materials
Published
2025-10-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202502788
Primary Topic
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
Type
article
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article

Structural Tuning of Self‐Conductive Polymer as Gas Diffusion Layer for Electrocatalytic Reactions at High Current

Brian M. Tackett, Bryan W. Boudouris, ‪Sang Hyun Ahn, Daecheol Jeong et al.
Advanced Energy Materials
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
article

Structural Tuning of Self‐Conductive Polymer as Gas Diffusion Layer for Electrocatalytic Reactions at High Current

Brian M. Tackett, Bryan W. Boudouris, ‪Sang Hyun Ahn, Daecheol Jeong, Jonathan T. Davis, Hwiyoon Noh, Rajamani Gounder, Zachary P. Smith, Tae Hoon Lee
article en

Abstract

Abstract Electrocatalytic conversions offer a promising route for sustainable chemical production using renewable energy. Gas diffusion layers (GDLs) enable selective product formation at high current densities but suffer from electrolyte flooding, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)‐based GDLs typically require metal conductive layers, which constrain catalyst development. A recently developed GDL configuration, electropolymerized poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)‐coated PTFE, demonstrates notable flooding resistance, but suffers from gas diffusion limitations at elevated currents due to limited gas diffusion through the PEDOT layer. Here, different dopants in PEDOT are exploited to modify the physical properties and enhance gas transport. ClO 4 − ‐doped PEDOT exhibits superior performance due to optimized physical structure, leading to increased gas permeance and faradaic efficiency (FE) for CO production during electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction. Further optimization of coverage and thickness achieved by adjusting charge density led to an optimal configuration at 33 mC cm −2 . This GDL supports various metal electrocatalysts and demonstrates FE CO of > 90% for over 150 h at −200 mA cm − 2 using a commercial silver electrocatalyst. This work highlights the importance of GDL engineering in enhancing performance and durability for long‐term electrocatalytic processes.

Advanced Energy MaterialsVol. 16(1)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (US), Purdue University West Lafayette (US), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), Sungkyunkwan University (KR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 79%
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
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