We are delighted that Dr WU Lizhen, a PhD graduate from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has received the competitive PolyU PhD Thesis Award for Merit (STEM Category).
The PolyU Graduate School establishes the PhD Thesis Award to recognize, reward and promote the distinguished research achievements by graduating PhD students. There are two award classes, namely Outstanding and Merit, recognizing students’ performance of different levels.
Dr WU completed his PhD under the supervision of Prof. AN Liang and has demonstrated exceptional research achievements through his graduating thesis.
Thesis Title: Bubble management at high-rate water electrolysis for green hydrogen production
Chief Supervisor: Prof. AN Liang
To convert renewable electricity into green hydrogen, efficient and affordable water electrolyzers are essential. Our research investigated how bubbles affect electrolyzer performance at the high current densities needed for large-scale hydrogen production. We found that bubbles trapped inside porous electrodes can block water supply and ion transport, making effective bubble removal more important than simply increasing the available catalytic surface area. By combining direct bubble observations, deep-learning-based tracking and numerical modeling, we connected microscopic bubble behaviors with overall device performance. These insights guided the development of low-cost stainless-steel electrodes and dual-layer flow fields that improve bubble removal while maintaining water supply. The electrode structures help bubbles escape, while the flow fields provide separate pathways for bubble removal and water delivery. Together, these advances reduce energy losses and improve hydrogen production performance, providing practical design principles for more efficient and affordable water electrolysis.
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