DATA CENTER
DATA CENTEROur NiCo Electrode for Data Center Hydrogen
Hydrogen fuel cells are replacing diesel gensets at some data centers for cleaner backup power. Our bifunctional NiCo electrode supplies the hydrogen produced and stored for these backup systems.
Polarization (RT vs 60 °C)
TESTBEDSteady production for storage
Backup hydrogen is produced steadily and stored for periodic discharge. Bifunctional NiCo + commercial Zirfon: 0.5 A/cm2 at 1.62 V at 60 deg C (91.4%).
1000-hour stability
21 uV/hr drift at 0.5 A/cm2 / 40 deg C with bifunctional NiCo and commercial Zirfon separator.
Bifunctional
80 mV HER / 260 mV OER overpotential at 100 mA/cm2 (no IR correction).
Scales for data center load
Ni foam from 100 to 1000 cm2 covers typical pilot deployments.
Hydrogen backup as an alternative to diesel
Data centers traditionally use diesel generators for emergency backup. Replacing diesel with hydrogen fuel cells eliminates direct combustion emissions and on-site fuel storage of liquid hydrocarbons. The hydrogen must be produced and stored when the data center is not drawing on backup power.
Our bifunctional NiCo electrode on Ni foam (100 to 1000 cm2), electroless-deposited, can run continuously to produce hydrogen for the storage tanks. The same coated electrode acts as both HER cathode and OER anode at 80 mV and 260 mV overpotential at 100 mA/cm2 in 30 wt% KOH (no IR correction).
0.5 A/cm2 @ 60 deg C
Cell-level performance with commercial Zirfon
In a 5 cm2 AEM cell with bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides and a commercial Zirfon separator (500 um), 0.5 A/cm2 at 1.62 V at 60 deg C (91.4% efficiency).
Long-duration production stability
A backup hydrogen system produces and stores constantly. 1000-hour chronopotentiometry on bifunctional NiCo + commercial Zirfon at 0.5 A/cm2 / 40 deg C: 21 uV/hr voltage drift.
Frequently asked questions
Why use a bifunctional NiCo electrode for data center backup power?
Our bifunctional NiCo electrode operates as both HER cathode and OER anode at 80 mV and 260 mV overpotential at 100 mA/cm² in 30 wt% KOH (no IR correction). For data center backup power, using a single electrode SKU on both sides simplifies stack BOM and qualification.
What cell-level performance is published?
In a 5 cm² AEM cell with bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides and a commercial Zirfon separator (500 µm) at zero-gap, the cell logs 0.5 A/cm² at 1.81 V at room temperature (82% efficiency) and 1.62 V at 60 °C (91.4%). At 1.0 A/cm²: 2.05 V at RT and 1.79 V at 60 °C.
What is the stability baseline?
Continuous 1000-hour chronopotentiometry at 0.5 A/cm² and 40 °C in 30 wt% KOH (bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides, commercial Zirfon separator) showed voltage drift of 21 µV/hr. Before/after linear-sweep polarization curves differ by 30 mV at the operating point.
Is the electrode validated for renewable-coupled operation?
Yes. PV-irradiance-derived current schedules applied for 9 continuous days (peaks ~570 mA/cm²) and wind-variation-derived schedules for 100 hours (0 to 0.78 A/cm²) on the same cell. ΔV at 0.5 A/cm² before and after the 100-hour wind run: 20 mV.
What substrate sizes ship?
The bifunctional NiCo electrode is produced on Ni foam in the 100 to 1000 cm² size range. Bench-scale 5 cm² coupons matching the published test cell are also available so customers can reproduce numbers on their own rig before scaling up.
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