History of water electrolysis

The attribution of the discovery of water electrolysis is a matter for some debate, especially if we take account of the reaching of true appreciation of the phenomena which were being observed. However, the following three facts are unanimously agreed upon  

In the 1820s, Michael Faraday (1791-1867), a British physicist and chemist, clarified the principles of electrolysis, devoting a significant proportion of his activities to it In 1834, he pubUshed the laws of electrolysis which today bear his name. 

In 1888, Dimitry Lachinov (also transliterated as Latchninofi) (1842-1902), a Russian physicist, electrician and inventor, began the industrial era in water electrolysis by developing the first machine using numerous bipolar electrodes, separated by sheets of parchment, in an iron tank, which was able to collect the pressurized gases. After miming a variety of tests, he finally advocated the use of an alkaline solution for the electrolyte, as a basic solution is less corrosive than an acid solution for iron electrodes. 

In 1899, Dr O. Schmidt, in Zurich, presented the first industrial bipolar electrolyzer, based on the concept of the filter press and manufactured by Oeriikom It used a 2.5V power supply. From 1902 onwards, it would be commercialized by Oerlikon. 

In parallel, in 1900, Walther Hermann Nemst (1864-1941), a German physicist and chemist, developed the high-temperature electrolyte YSZ , based on zirconium dioxide (Zr02) stabilized by yttrium oxide (Y2O3) at a 15% mass ratio. The foundations were lain for high-temperature electrolyzers and batteries. 

---