ELECTRODE SPECIFICATION
OPERATING POINTIndustrial Current Density 0.5 A/cm2
Our published 1.62 V cell voltage at 0.5 A/cm2 (60 deg C, AEM cell with bifunctional NiCo and commercial Zirfon separator) corresponds to 91.4% energy efficiency, the operating point most modern alkaline stack designs target.
ELECTRODE SPEC
OPERATING POINT
This spec
OPERATING POINT
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
Why 0.5 A/cm2
0.5 A/cm2 is the operating point most modern alkaline electrolyzer designs target. Lower current densities reduce throughput per unit cell area; higher current densities increase voltage losses faster than they add throughput. 0.5 A/cm2 sits where the trade-off typically settles for industrial AWE and AEM systems.
Our published cell-level performance at this operating point uses our bifunctional NiCo electrode on both sides of a 5 cm2 AEM cell with a commercial Zirfon separator (500 um) in 30 wt% KOH and zero-gap assembly.
0.5 A/cm2 @ RT
0.5 A/cm2 @ 60 deg C
Cell voltage at 0.5 A/cm2
At 0.5 A/cm2, the bifunctional NiCo electrode and commercial Zirfon separator deliver 1.81 V at room temperature (82% energy efficiency) and 1.62 V at 60 deg C (91.4%). The "industrial current density" phrasing is from the source material describing this operating point.
Stability at this operating point
The 1000-hour run with our bifunctional NiCo electrode and commercial Zirfon separator was performed at 0.5 A/cm2 (and 40 deg C). The cell drifted by 21 uV/hr over the full 1000-hour window.
For OEMs sizing stacks at 0.5 A/cm2 as the target operating point, this is the cell-level baseline against which qualification testing can be compared.
Above and below 0.5 A/cm2
The same bifunctional NiCo electrode and commercial Zirfon separator also measured at 1.0 A/cm2: 2.05 V at RT, 1.79 V at 60 deg C. Below 0.5 A/cm2 the polarization curves are well-behaved across the range explored. Renewable-coupled testing exercised the cell down to 0 and up to 0.78 A/cm2 across the wind-derived dynamic load.
Where this specification matters
Industrial applications where industrial current density at 0.5 a/cm2 is a primary qualification metric.
Frequently asked questions
How is industrial current density at 0.5 a/cm2 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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