Scanning acoustic microscopy for quantifying bubble evolution in alkaline water electrolyzers

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Improved understanding of gas/liquid transport in electrochemical gas-evolving systems is increasingly demanded for optimizing device performance. However, high-resolution measurement techniques for in-situ imaging remain limited. This work demonstrates the use of volumetric scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) for quantifying hydrogen bubble distribution in porous nickel electrodes in a customized alkaline water electrolysis cell. By using high-frequency focused ultrasound, SAM enables volumetric imaging with high spatial resolution in the range of tens of micrometers. This allows the distribution of gas bubbles within the complex 3D architecture of porous electrodes to be resolved. Digital image processing methods are used to segment and quantify the gas content in the electrode. Thus, non-destructive SAM imaging is demonstrated to be an accessible and scalable analytical tool for the quantitative investigation of bubble distribution in electrochemical environments. Here, a methodological foundation is established for future studies aimed at optimizing bubble dynamics and cell design under practically relevant operating conditions, ultimately contributing to higher electrolysis efficiencies.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number238575
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of power sources
Volume660
Publication statusPublished - 9 Oct 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0003-4333-4636/work/214455496

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • Alkaline water electrolysis, Gas evolving electrode, Hydrogen gas fraction, Porous nickel electrodes, Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM), Two-phase flow, Volumetric ultrasound imaging