ELECTRODE SPECIFICATION
CELL CONFIGAEM Cell, Zero-Gap
All our published electrode performance data is measured in a 5 cm2 AEM cell with zero-gap assembly. 30 wt% KOH electrolyte, commercial Zirfon separator (500 um), bifunctional NiCo electrode on both cathode and anode.
ELECTRODE SPEC
CELL CONFIG
This spec
CELL CONFIG
HER overpotential
@ 100 mA/cm² (no IR)
OER overpotential
@ 100 mA/cm² (no IR)
Cell @ 0.5 A/cm² / 60 °C
91.4% efficiency
1000-hour drift
@ 0.5 A/cm² / 40 °C
What zero-gap means
In a zero-gap electrolyzer cell, the electrodes are pressed directly against the separator membrane, eliminating the bulk electrolyte gap between electrode and membrane. Ionic transport happens through the separator without traversing an open electrolyte channel. Zero-gap configurations are standard in modern alkaline electrolyzer designs because they reduce ohmic losses.
Our bifunctional NiCo electrode was tested in a 5 cm2 AEM cell with zero-gap assembly and a commercial Zirfon separator (500 um) as the membrane reference.
0.5 A/cm2 @ 60 deg C
0.5 A/cm2 @ RT
Cell-level numbers in this configuration
The zero-gap AEM cell with bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides and commercial Zirfon separator delivers 0.5 A/cm2 at 1.81 V at room temperature (82% efficiency) and 1.62 V at 60 deg C (91.4%). At 1.0 A/cm2: 2.05 V at RT, 1.79 V at 60 deg C.
Why we use AEM as the test cell
AEM stands for anion exchange membrane. In the context of our published runs, "AEM cell" describes the cell type: zero-gap, alkaline electrolyte, with the commercial Zirfon separator serving as the porous separator reference. The 5 cm2 active area is standard for bench-scale electrode evaluation.
Numbers measured in this AEM configuration are the published reference. Stack OEMs evaluating the electrode for their own cell designs should reproduce the test using the same conditions.
Reproduction recipe
A team running their own AEM bench test can reproduce our published cell-level numbers using the same recipe: 5 cm2 active area, zero-gap assembly, 30 wt% KOH electrolyte, commercial Zirfon separator (500 um) as the membrane reference, bifunctional NiCo electrode on both cathode and anode, room temperature or 60 deg C operating temperature. The cell voltages reported on this site are the operating-point references.
Where this specification matters
Industrial applications where aem cell, zero-gap tested is a primary qualification metric.
Frequently asked questions
How is aem cell, zero-gap tested measured?
All published values were measured in a 5 cm² AEM cell with our bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides, 30 wt% KOH electrolyte, zero-gap assembly, and a commercial Zirfon separator (500 µm) as the membrane reference. Overpotentials are reported without IR correction.
Can I reproduce this number on my own cell?
Yes. Bench-scale 5 cm² coupons matching the size used in our published AEM test cell are available. Reproducing the cell conditions (30 wt% KOH, zero-gap, commercial Zirfon separator, bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides) lets a customer team confirm the published number directly.
What substrate sizes can I order?
We produce the bifunctional NiCo electrode on Ni foam in the 100 to 1000 cm² size range. Bench-scale coupons and pilot-scale electrodes both ship from this same product line. Specific sizes can be discussed for OEM stack integration.
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