· 논문명 : Anisotropically Wettable Porous Transport Layers for Gas Management in Water Electrolyzers

· 저   자 : Yunseok Kang, Seunghyun Lee, Jinseo Lee, Soi Lee, Geonwoo Lee, Hyeongoo Kim,

              Gwan Hyun Choi, Jungki Ryu,* and Dong Woog Lee**

· 게재지 : Advanced Science (2025, e085969)

· 초록

In this study, Fe-single-atom-decorated carbon-nanotube-based electrocatalysts with small concentrations of Fe3C nanoparticles

Conventional studies on water electrolysis have primarily focused on designing novel electrocatalysts and membranes, with 

intrinsic properties closely linked to the immediate performance of water electrolyzers. However, less attention is directed

toward porous transport layers (PTLs), which are essential for sustaining efficient, long-term, high-current operation by enabling

effective mass transport. Here, a novel PTL with anisotropic wettability (AW-PTL) is introduced to enhance the efficiency of anion 

exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs). By hydrophobically modifying the upper half of hydrophilic Ni foam with 

polytetrafluoroethylene using a simple spray-coating method, anisotropic wettability is achieved, enabling the directional transport 

of liquid electrolytes and gaseous products. This design significantly improves AEMWE efficiency by facilitating the removal of gas

bubbles, which typically block catalyst active sites and hinder electrolyte supply. The method is universally applicable across 

conventional PTL types and demonstrates scalability to large-area (up to 225 cm2) and short-stack AEMWEs. This work 

advances the practical application of water electrolysis, providing an adaptable solution for other water electrolyzer types using

existing catalysts and membranes. (AOFA-20) were obtained by calculating Fe-ZIF-8 functionalized by 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole in

 a crucible cup without a cap. The as-synthesized AOFA-20 demonstrated outstanding ORR activity (E1/2 = 0.828V vs. RHE), 

surpassing 20 % Pt/C (0.808 V) in 0.1 M KOH. It also exhibited superior long-term stability and methanol tolerance over 

commercial RuO2 and Pt/C. In practical zinc–air  batteries, AOFA-20 achieved a narrowvoltage gap (1.19 V) and exceptional

cycling stability (>560 hr), outperforming Pt/C– RuO2 (1.41 V, 65 hr). These findings highlight useful information for the 

development of AOFA-20 catalyst with abundant active sites for next-generation energy storage and conversion devices.