Carbon-free bifunctional gas diffusion electrode for alkaline energy converter

The goal of this work is to propose a novel, long-term stable, bifunctional, carbon-free gas diffusion electrode (CF-GDE) design for alkaline energy converters. This is achieved by understanding how the electrochemical activity of GDEs is affected by the pore size and the surface properties (hydrophobic and hydrophilic) of the electrode. In addition, combinations of different pore sizes and surface properties (hydrophobic and hydrophilic) and their influence on electrochemical activity will also be investigated. It is also necessary to understand the difference between the designed CF-GDE and the state-of-the-art carbon-based GDE. The goal of proposing a novel, long-term stable, bifunctional CF-GDE design for alkaline energy converters was successfully achieved. The benchmark of the developed CF-GDE revealed that it is a competitive bifunctional GDE for metal-air batteries and unitized regenerative fuel cells and potentially for electrolyzers. Therefore, it is among the most advanced gas diffusion electrodes for alkaline applications.