The proton exchange membrane is the core component of the electrolyzer. The proton exchange membrane provides a channel for the migration and transportation of protons, so that the protons pass through the membrane from the anode to the cathode, and form a circuit with the electron transfer of the external circuit to provide current to the outside world.

       The anode catalyst for proton exchange electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen is mainly Ir/IrO₂, and the cathodic electrocatalyst mainly uses Pt metal. The widely used cathode catalyst currently refers to the platinum carbon black composite electrocatalyst, which can achieve high oxygen reduction activity and certain stability under acidic conditions. As a cathode catalyst, the biggest problem at present is whether the catalytic activity can be maximized. To achieve the desired effect, a certain amount of platinum must be loaded. At the same time, the activity of electrocatalysis must be improved. This technology requires certain changes in the macroscopic composition and microscopic morphology, and the original structure can be changed to fundamentally solve the problem of effective utilization of the catalyst. The introduction of ruthenium as a binary catalyst can effectively strip oxygen. Enhancing the activity of platinum significantly increased the catalytic activity. The decomposition of water requires high electrical energy, which limits the catalytic effect of pure platinum too much. Ru can dissociate hydrogen and oxygen intermediates at a lower potential, which greatly improves the oxidation ability of electrocatalysts. This is also the most widely used bifunctional mechanism.

physicochemical parameters