Uniformly scalable and stackable porous transport layer manufactured by tape casting and calendering for efficient water electrolysis

Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) stands out as the most promising and eco-friendly technology for directly converting renewable energy into hydrogen. A critical element within a PEMWE cell is the porous transport layer (PTL), typically constructed from Ti to withstand the rigorous conditions of water electrolysis. Herein, we present a cost-effective and viable fabrication process for Ti-PTLs, utilizing tape-casting method in combination with a lamination-roll calendering procedure, facilitating precise thickness control. By systematical fine-tuning the debinding conditions, we obtained a phase-pure Ti-PTL endowed with a highly-interconnected pore structure. A comprehensive analysis of digitally twinned Ti-PTL, constructed through a state-of-the-art three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction process, reveals a remarkable uniformity in the open pore structures across Ti-PTLs of varying thicknesses, highlighting their considerable practical potential. Furthermore, the electrochemical performance of PEMWE cells using our Ti-PTLs surpassed that of the benchmark commercial Ti-PTL, demonstrating the significant promise of our tape-casting process followed by lamination-roll calendering procedure in practical Ti-PTL fabrication.