The application of CO₂ electrolysis holds immense promise for decarbonization, yet significant challenges remain to bridge the gap from proof-of-concept to industrial application. While upscaling to megawatt-level stacks is the ultimate objective for commercialization, mastering lab-scale devices is a critical prerequisite. This presentation argues that rigorous lab-scale investigation is essential to identify and resolve fundamental failure modes that would otherwise cripple industrial systems.

 The lab scale allows to investigate critical system choices, including material choice, cell architecture and operating conditions before committing to a system for scale-up. This presentation shows examples for each of these, demonstrating, how challenges can be identified and mitigation strategies can be developed with scale-up in mind. 

Regarding material choice, we investigate cost-effective alternatives to noble metal catalysts. By substituting IrOx with stainless steel as an anode catalyst, we identify a critical stability bottleneck: the dissolution of chromium from the steel, which subsequently crosses over to the cathode and poisons the reaction. This highlights the risk that aggressive cost-reduction in materials can compromise long-term system viability.

In terms of cell architecture, we examine the implementation of bipolar membranes (BPMs) to suppress carbon crossover and enable pure water operation. We address the resulting challenge of interfacial blistering caused by CO₂​ formation by perforating the AEM side of the membrane. Furthermore, we identify self-humidification processes within the BPMs as the next primary bottleneck for achieving the high current densities required for industrial application.

Finally, we explore how operating conditions affect the internal state and longevity of the cell. Through operando neutron imaging, we demonstrate that a pulsed operation mode stabilizes the cell and extends its lifetime by inducing short periods of high humidification at the cathode, which effectively removes salt precipitates. Adding multiphysics simulations further allows us to map gradients in CO₂​ availability and cation concentration along the channel, providing key insights for the optimization of flow field designs in larger cells.

By systematically addressing these failures in materials, architecture, and operation at the lab scale, we provide a roadmap to mitigate risks before upscaling. This approach ensures that the transition to stack-scale electrolysis is built upon a foundation of understood phenomena, directly resolving the primary bottlenecks to industrial application.