Electrochemical oxygen generator with 99.9% oxygen purity and high energy efficiency (preprint)

ABSTRACT

Under the growing crisis of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the global medical system is facing the predicament of an acute shortage of medical-grade oxygen (O2, ≥ 99.5% purity). Herein, we manufactured an oxygen generation device relying on electrochemical technology. The performance of electrochemical oxygen generator (EOG) was remarkably improved to a practically applicable level, achieving long-term (>200 h), stable, and quick production (>1.5L/min) of high purity O2 (99.9%) under high energy efficiency (496 L/kW·h), viasimultaneous optimizations for intrinsic electrochemical reaction mechanism, electrocatalysts, and external cell structure. The EOG also presents powerful competitiveness in user experience, which finds expression in high portability (4.7 kg), nearly instant O2 production (<1 s), and a quiet working condition (<39 dB). The EOG shows great potential to substitute commercial pressure swing adsorption O2 generation devices, which may significantly impact the traditional oxygen production industry.