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Capabilities and limitations of rotating disk electrodes versus membrane electrode assemblies in the investigation of electrocatalysts

Nature Catalysis volume 5, pages 363–373 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Cost-competitive fuel cells and water electrolysers require highly efficient electrocatalysts for the respective reactions of hydrogen oxidation and evolution, and oxygen evolution and reduction. Electrocatalyst activity and durability are commonly assessed using rotating disk electrodes (RDEs) or membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). RDEs provide a quick and widely accessible testing tool, whereas MEA testing is more complex but closely resembles the actual application. Although both experimental set-ups allow investigation of the same reactions, there are scientific questions that cannot be answered by the RDE technique. In this Perspective, we scrutinize protocols widely used to determine the activity and durability of electrocatalysts, and highlight discrepancies in the results obtained using RDEs and MEAs. We discuss where the use of RDEs is appropriate and, conversely, where it leads to erroneous interpretations. Ultimately, we show that many of the current challenges for hydrogen and oxygen electrocatalysts require MEA testing and advocate for its greater adoption in the early stages of electrocatalyst development.

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Fig. 1: Comparison of the RDE and five-layer MEA set-ups.
Fig. 2: Limited mass transport rates restricting RDE-based HOR/HER measurements of the Nernstian diffusion overpotential.
Fig. 3: Structural influences on ORR catalyst activity and MEA performance.

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Acknowledgements

T.L. acknowledges funding from the Swiss National Foundation under the funding scheme Sinergia (project grant number 180335). B.M.S. acknowledges support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany’s Excellence Strategy (EXC 2089/1–390776260). We thank our colleague P. Rapp for the graphic design of Fig. 1.

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Timon Lazaridis, Björn M. Stühmeier.

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  1. Department of Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany

    Timon Lazaridis, Björn M. Stühmeier, Hubert A. Gasteiger & Hany A. El-Sayed

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Contributions

All authors conceptualized the overall structure of this Perspective. T.L., B.M.S. and H.A.E.-S. co-wrote the manuscript, with T.L. and B.M.S. contributing the discussion of general aspects and the conclusion, H.A.E.-S. focusing on the OER section, B.M.S. drafting the HOR/HER section and T.L. discussing the ORR-specific aspects. All authors provided insights, contributed feedback and edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Hany A. El-Sayed.

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Lazaridis, T., Stühmeier, B.M., Gasteiger, H.A. et al. Capabilities and limitations of rotating disk electrodes versus membrane electrode assemblies in the investigation of electrocatalysts. Nat Catal 5, 363–373 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-022-00776-5

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