抄録
Water electrolysis is carried out in alkaline (0.1 M KOH) solution for 4 s under a terrestrial and microgravity environment realized in a drop shaft. Moreover, the effect of the electrode surface wettability for water electrolysis is investigated by surface modified platinum electrode by alkanethiol serf-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The wettability of electrode surface is possible to control the evolved oxygen gas bubbles behavior and surface coverage of the electrode, and improve the energy efficiency especially under microgravity environment. Under terrestrial environment, the anode potential increases by oxygen gas bubbles layer due to adsorption of a great deal of oxygen gas bubbles only on hydrophobic electrode surface. Under microgravity environment, the anode potential is significantly different from the property of surface wettability, and reduced on hydrophilic electrode due to the oxygen gas bubbles behavior.
