Bipolar membrane electrolyzers enable high single-pass CO2 electroreduction to multicarbon products

Finite-element numerical simulations of the stationary catholyte (SC)-layerThe composition and thickness of the catholyte layer influence the local pH, the efficiency of CO2 regeneration and, thereby, the overall cell performance. We applied a one-dimensional multiphysics model in COMSOL to investigate the catholyte layer in BPM-based CO2RR electrolyzers.The CO2 reactant is provided by two sources: the inlet CO2 flow (gas) and the regenerated CO2 (dissolved form, aq.) in the catholyte. To achieve high SPU, it is necessary to restrict the gaseous CO2 feed13,14. Under a restricted gaseous CO2 availability, the cathode CO2 supply relies more on regeneration (SI1): in an ideal case with 100% SPU and 100% C2+ selectivity, regeneration contributes 75% of the consumed CO2. Thus, the mass transport of regenerated CO2 is most critical, and that transport is governed by catholyte composition…

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