Systematic Data-Driven Analysis to Quantify Critical Influencing Factors in PEM Electrolysis

ECS Meeting Abstracts, vol. MA2026-01, pp. 1654

Abstract

Green Hydrogen production using water electrolysis is essential in the global transition toward a carbon-neutral economy. Among the established technologies, Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (PEMWE) stands out as a promising solution due to its efficiency, high current densities, and highly dynamic operation. However, despite the consistently growing numbers of publications on PEMWE development, a lack of standardized methodologies and experimental reporting guidelines persists, which severely complicates the direct comparison and interpretation of results across various research groups. To address this comparability challenge, we have executed a large-scale, systematic literature analysis and built a quantitative database. This resource comprises more than 1,000 unique data points derived from over 125 publications, synthesizing more than 85 parameters that span the full development process. This encompasses key variables related to material selection, Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) fabrication, cell assembly procedures, and electrochemical characterization. Employing robust statistical methods, we initially mapped underlying performance trends and key correlations across this extensive combined dataset. Crucially, we then deployed an Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model to establish a hierarchy of influence among all measured parameters. The results reveal that several factors are statistically critical to performance metrics, yet are underreported within current reporting practices. These findings serve as a decisive foundation for establishing objective reporting and experimental guidelines for the PEMWE community. This work thus provides a clear roadmap for accelerating the optimization and development of next-generation PEM electrolysis technology by resolving long-standing comparability challenges.

Authors 7

1. Stephan Zimmer Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University

2. Florian Wiesner Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University

3. Niklas Vollmert Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University

4. Jannis Steiger Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University

5. Till Engelhard Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University

6. Matthias Weßling Aachen DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials

   DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials

   RWTH Aachen University

7. Robert Keller Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University