A Review on Sulfonated Polymer Composite/Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Membranes to Address Methanol Barrier Issue for Methanol Fuel Cells

Duraibabu, D.; Xiao, Min; Wang, Shuanjin; Ye, Meng

doi:10.3390/nano9050668

Cited by 45 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 134 publications

(137 reference statements)

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“…Composite Nafion membranes can be loaded with organic and inorganic fillers that have been used predominantly to increase proton conductivity and to act as a barrier to methanol crossover [43,44]. The following sub-sections discuss the latest developments in the organic, inorganic and carbon nano-material filler-based membrane.…”

Section: Composite Nafion-based Membranementioning

confidence: 99%

Composite Polymers Development and Application for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Technologies—A Review

et al. 2020

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Nafion membranes are still the dominating material used in the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) technologies. They are widely used in several applications thanks to their excellent properties: high proton conductivity and high chemical stability in both oxidation and reduction environment. However, they have several technical challenges: reactants permeability, which results in reduced performance, dependence on water content to perform preventing the operation at higher temperatures or low humidity levels, and chemical degradation. This paper reviews novel composite membranes that have been developed for PEM applications, including direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), hydrogen PEM fuel cells (PEMFCs), and water electrolysers (PEMWEs), aiming at overcoming the drawbacks of the commercial Nafion membranes. It provides a broad overview of the Nafion-based membranes, with organic and inorganic fillers, and non-fluorinated membranes available in the literature for which various main properties (proton conductivity, crossover, maximum power density, and thermal stability) are reported. The studies on composite membranes demonstrate that they are suitable for PEM applications and can potentially compete with Nafion membranes in terms of performance and lifetime.

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Section: Composite Nafion-based Membranementioning

confidence: 99%

Composite Polymers Development and Application for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Technologies—A Review

et al. 2020

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“…Inorganic proton conductors based on phosphates and solid acids have also been explored as electrolytes for fuel cells [21]. Preparation of inorganic-organic composites is an effective way to advanced membrane materials [22,23], particularly to reduce methanol crossover [24]. The subject has been very recently reviewed [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancement toward Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells at Elevated Temperatures

Zhang

Aili

et al. 2020

Research

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Elevation of operational temperatures of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) has been demonstrated with phosphoric acid-doped polybenzimidazole (PA/PBI) membranes. The technical perspective of the technology is simplified construction and operation with possible integration with, e.g., methanol reformers. Toward this target, significant efforts have been made to develop acid-base polymer membranes, inorganic proton conductors, and organic-inorganic composite materials. This report is devoted to updating the recent progress of the development particularly of acid-doped PBI, phosphate-based solid inorganic proton conductors, and their composite electrolytes. Long-term stability of PBI membranes has been well documented, however, at typical temperatures of 160°C. Inorganic proton-conducting materials, e.g., alkali metal dihydrogen phosphates, heteropolyacids, tetravalent metal pyrophosphates, and phosphosilicates, exhibit significant proton conductivity at temperatures of up to 300°C but have so far found limited applications in the form of thin films. Composite membranes of PBI and phosphates, particularly in situ formed phosphosilicates in the polymer matrix, showed exceptionally stable conductivity at temperatures well above 200°C. Fuel cell tests at up to 260°C are reported operational with good tolerance of up to 16% CO in hydrogen, fast kinetics for direct methanol oxidation, and feasibility of nonprecious metal catalysts. The prospect and future exploration of new proton conductors based on phosphate immobilization and fuel cell technologies at temperatures above 200°C are discussed.

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“…The advantages of working at temperatures above 120 °C include a remarkable reduction in CO poisoning of the catalyst [ 12 ], improvement of diffusion rates and redox reactions [ 13 ], and simplification in water and heat management [ 14 ]. In the quest for novel polymeric electrolytes for energy applications operating at high temperatures [ 15 ], several polymeric families have been developed in order to replace the widely used perfluorinated polymers [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Among these novel polymeric materials, polybenzimidazole (PBI) derivatives have emerged as potential candidates due to their higher thermal and mechanical stability [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Deep Insight into Different Acidic Additives as Doping Agents for Enhancing Proton Conductivity on Polybenzimidazole Membranes

2020

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The use of phosphoric acid doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes for fuel cell applications has been extensively studied in the past decades. In this article, we present a systematic study of the physicochemical properties and proton conductivity of PBI membranes doped with the commonly used phosphoric acid at different concentrations (0.1, 1, and 14 M), and with other alternative acids such as phytic acid (0.075 M) and phosphotungstic acid (HPW, 0.1 M). The use of these three acids was reflected in the formation of channels in the polymeric network as observed by cross-section SEM images. The acid doping enhanced proton conductivity of PBI membranes and, after doping, these conducting materials maintained their mechanical properties and thermal stability for their application as proton exchange membrane fuel cells, capable of operating at intermediate or high temperatures. Under doping with similar acidic concentrations, membranes with phytic acid displayed a superior conducting behavior when compared to doping with phosphoric acid or phosphotungstic acid.

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A Review on Sulfonated Polymer Composite/Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Membranes to Address Methanol Barrier Issue for Methanol Fuel Cells

Cited by 45 publications

References 134 publications

Composite Polymers Development and Application for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Technologies—A Review

Composite Polymers Development and Application for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Technologies—A Review

Advancement toward Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells at Elevated Temperatures

A Deep Insight into Different Acidic Additives as Doping Agents for Enhancing Proton Conductivity on Polybenzimidazole Membranes

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