A review of water splitting via mixed ionic–electronic conducting (MIEC) membrane reactors

Abstract

Hydrogen has received significant attention as a carbon-free energy carrier for power generation. Water is an environmentally-benign source for hydrogen production either through electrolysis or catalytic splitting, and the latter has a relatively low equilibrium constant. Coupling catalytic water splitting with a mixed ionic-electronic conducting (MIEC) membrane reactor has been demonstrated as a very promising approach to enhance the hydrogen production rate by extracting the oxygen produced. This review provides a comprehensive coverage of critical aspects included in this process, including membrane materials, structure, morphology, catalysts, and operating conditions for water splitting. Moreover, process intensification can be further achieved by integrating methane-related oxidation reactions to facilitate oxygen removal, so as to improve the hydrogen production rate. Some trends for future development have also been summarized.