Development of advanced anion exchange membrane from the view of the performance of water electrolysis cell

Green hydrogen produced by water electrolysis combined with renewable energy is a promising alternative to fossil fuels due to its high energy density with zero-carbon emissions. Among water electrolysis technologies, the anion exchange membrane (AEM) water electrolysis has gained intensive attention and is considered as the next-generation emerging technology due to its potential advantages, such as the use of low-cost non-noble metal catalysts, the relatively mature stack assembly process, etc. However, the AEM water electrolyzer is still in the early development stage of the kW-level stack, which is mainly attributed to severe performance decay caused by the core component, i.e., AEM. Here, the review comprehensively presents the recent progress of advanced AEM from the view of the performance of water electrolysis cells. Herein, fundamental principles and critical components of AEM water electrolyzers are introduced, and work conditions of AEM water electrolyzers and AEM performance improvement strategies are discussed. The challenges and perspectives are also analyzed.