40% more: Hydrogen production gets skryrocket boost with new method

Researchers at UNIST have developed a novel method to enhance hydrogen production efficiency in water electrolyzers by applying a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating—commonly known as Teflon—onto the porous transport layer (PTL). This coating prevents hydrogen bubbles from adhering to the PTL’s surface, allowing them to escape more easily and keeping the catalytic reaction sites accessible. By coating only the top half of the PTL, the design maintains unobstructed water flow while improving hydrogen bubble removal, resulting in a 40% increase in current density and reduced voltage losses typically caused by bubble buildup. The coating process is simple, scalable, and cost-effective, involving just spray application followed by heat treatment, without the need for complex manufacturing techniques. The team successfully demonstrated the method on large-area PTLs, highlighting its practical potential for real-world electrolyzer systems. Beyond water electrolysis, this approach could also improve performance in other electrochemical devices involving gas evolution, such as fuel cells and