Solution - Alkaline Electrolyzer
Nickel mesh that survives 60,000 hours in 30% KOH.
For alkaline water electrolysis, chlor-alkali production, and industrial electrochemistry. RAS engineers the electrode substrate - woven mesh for catalyst support, knitted mesh for porous transport, nickel wire for current collection - so your coating and your cell perform to specification.
15+
Years electrode fabrication
42
Countries supplied
99.6%
Nickel purity minimum
How it works
From cell drawing to serial supply.
01
Cell audit
Send us your cell geometry, target current density (0.2-0.5 A/cm2), KOH concentration (25-30%), and operating temperature (80-90 C). We map your existing electrode performance against RAS substrate specifications to identify the gap.
02
Weave matching
Our applications team selects the mesh family (woven or knitted), wire diameter (0.025-1.20 mm), and open-area target based on your bubble detachment regime, ohmic resistance budget, and catalyst loading requirements.
03
Qualification & scale
Prototype electrode mesh ships in 3 weeks with full dimensional inspection data. On your approval, we lock the weave recipe and enter serial production with lot-level traceability and EN 10204 3.1 mill certification.
EEAT case study - Failure analysis
An 8 MW AWE stack showing 0.3% voltage drift per month. The substrate was the problem.
A Southeast Asian electrolyzer OEM contacted RAS in 2024 after field data showed progressive cell voltage increase across 14 commissioned stacks. Post-mortem analysis on a returned cathode assembly found grain-boundary carbide precipitation at the wire crossover points. The original nickel mesh had been supplied as Ni200 (0.12% carbon measured) rather than the specified Ni201 low-carbon grade. In 30% KOH at 85 C, the grain-boundary Ni3C precipitates were selectively attacked, creating microscopic corrosion fissures that increased local contact resistance across every wire junction in the electrode.
Root cause
Carbon content above 0.02% in Ni200 wire led to grain-boundary carbide precipitation. Hot KOH selectively dissolved the carbide phase (Ni3C), initiating intergranular corrosion at every wire crossover point - approximately 900 contact points per cm2 of electrode area.
RAS solution
Replaced all electrode substrate with Ni201-grade plain-Dutch weave nickel mesh (60 mesh, 0.19 mm wire, 51% open area, electropolished finish). Ni201 limits carbon to 0.02% maximum, preventing the formation of a continuous grain-boundary carbide network that KOH can attack.
Outcome
18-month follow-up across all 14 stacks: voltage degradation rate reduced from 0.3% to below 0.04% per month. Cell voltage stability restored to within original OEM specification. Customer switched all future stack production to Ni201-grade mesh from RAS.
FAQ
Frequently asked
Ready to spec your electrode mesh?
Send us your cell parameters. Our applications team returns a matched weave recommendation within one business day.
What is Nickel Mesh Applications?
Nickel mesh is applied as the electrode substrate system in industrial electrochemical cells — alkaline water electrolyzers producing green hydrogen, chlor-alkali membrane cells producing chlorine and caustic soda, plus battery current collectors and high-temperature filtration. In each cell, woven mesh carries the catalyst coating, knitted mesh works as the compressible porous transport layer, and nickel wire connects the assembly to the busbar. RAS engineers all three positions in Ni200/Ni201 grades and has supplied 42 countries since 2011.
Key facts
Electrode fabrication
15+ years focused on nickel mesh only
Service conditions
25-30% KOH at 80-90°C (AWE); NaCl/NaOH at 85-95°C (chlor-alkali)
Field lifetime
Ni201 electrodes exceed 60,000 hours in AWE service
Customer base
200+ customers across 42 countries
Related products & resources
Selection guide
The table below compares the options most often quoted for nickel mesh applications enquiries.
| Application | Mesh position & spec | Operating duty |
|---|---|---|
| Alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) | Woven 30-40 mesh Ni201 substrate + knitted 660-850 g/m² PTL + Ni201 lead wire | 25-30% KOH at 80-90°C, 0.2-0.5 A/cm² |
| Chlor-alkali membrane cells | Woven 30-60 mesh Ni201 anode + electropolished membrane support + interlock cathode collector | Saturated NaCl/NaOH at 85-95°C |
| Battery & fuel cells | Knitted mesh current collectors | NiMH and molten carbonate cells |
How to request a quote
- Step 1
Send your specification — product family, grade (Ni200/Ni201/N6), mesh count or packing density, wire diameter, quantity and certification standard.
- Step 2
Our applications team reviews the requirement and replies within one business day — within 24 hours on working days — with availability, lead time and pricing.
- Step 3
Confirm the proforma invoice; a sample Mill Test Certificate (EN 10204 3.1) is included with the quote, and a free 100×100 mm sample is available for standard mesh specifications.
- Step 4
Production, inspection and shipment proceed with the full documentation package — 100% of shipments include the lot-specific MTC.
Certification & traceability
Manufacturing is ISO 9001:2015 certified, and 100% of shipments include an EN 10204 3.1 Mill Test Certificate — OES chemistry, laser micrometer wire trace, optical mesh count and ASTM E8 tensile results — with a traceable heat number on every roll. Technical enquiries receive a substantive reply from a named materials engineer within one business day (within 24 hours on working days), and a sample MTC is included with every quote so your quality team can verify the documentation format up front.
Standards & references
ASTM International · International Organization for Standardization
Page last updated: 2026-09-28