Recent advances in polybenzimidazole/phosphoric acid membranes for high‐temperature fuel cells

Subianto, Surya

doi:10.1002/pi.4708

Cited by 119 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…These membranes perform well in high temperatures with low humidity levels and are robust against fuel impurities. However, they also have reduced device lifetime due to lower mechanical strength and due to damage caused by phosphoric acid leachate formed under normal operating conditions; acid leaching also decreases the energy efficiency of the membrane via losses in proton conductivity 58,61 . Beyond the attributes considered here, phosphoric acid-PBI membranes may have issues with cold start due to poor device efficiency performance at lower temperatures.…”

Section: Review Of Bulk Polymer Matrices For Electrolyte Membranesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, while hygroscopic particles are intended to increase the device efficiency by improving proton conductivity via increased water retention, these particles decrease device efficiency by diluting the concentration of the proton-conducting ionomer when made of material less conductive that the ionomer membrane [165][166][167][168] . Nanofillers may also increase the mechanical strength of the polymer, as in the case of zwitterionic structured SiO2 in polybenzimidazole 163,169 . In addition, the heterogeneous hybrid membranes also experience phase separation due to differing water uptake and thermal expansion coefficients of the nanofillers and the polymer matrix, causing stresses and strains in the membrane and thereby shortening the lifetime and decreasing material efficiency 170 .…”

Section: Electrolyte Membranementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The current carbon nanotube synthesis routes are energy intensive [58][59][60] . Even when potential economies of scale are taken into account, energy requirements for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes through chemical vapour deposition, arc discharge, or laser-assisted methods all remain significant 61 , which in turn result in high greenhouse gas emissions 62 . Further, carbon nanotubes anodes have lower charge-discharge energy efficiencies 34,52 .…”

Section: Anode Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In one type of composite membrane, a polymer membrane matrix may have embedded nanostructures of inorganic materials in order to improve membrane characteristics. Such materials may be metal oxides or synthetic clays to improve mechanical stability 163 , water uptake, or nanocarbons or nanofibers to provide ionic channels and thus improve device efficiency of the PEMFC. Heteropolyacids such as phosphotungtsic acid are used as fillers to improve proton conductivity (device efficiency), but decease mechanical stability and therefore have a shorter lifetime.…”

Section: Electrolyte Membranementioning

confidence: 99%

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Nanotechnology for environmentally sustainable electromobility

et al. 2016

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Electric vehicles (EVs) powered by lithium ion batteries (LIBs) or proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cells (PEMFCs) offer important potential climate change mitigation effects when combined with clean energy sources. The development of novel nanomaterials may bring about the next wave of technical improvements for LIBs and PEMFCs. If the next generation of EVs is to lead to not only reduced emissions during use but also environmentally sustainable production chains, the research on nanomaterials for LIBs and PEMFCs should be guided by a lifecycle perspective. In this Review, we describe an environmental lifecycle screening framework tailored to assess nanomaterials for electromobility. By applying this framework, we offer an early evaluation of the most promising nanomaterials for LIBs and PEMFCs and their potential contributions to the environmental sustainability of EV lifecycles. Potential environmental trade-offs and gaps in nanomaterials research are identified to provide guidance for future nanomaterial developments for electromobility.

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Section: Review Of Bulk Polymer Matrices For Electrolyte Membranesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Electrolyte Membranementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Anode Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Electrolyte Membranementioning

confidence: 99%

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Nanotechnology for environmentally sustainable electromobility

et al. 2016

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“…PEMFCs have outstanding power density, rapid start-up, and high efficiency. 1 In addition, the operation of PEMFCs is straightforward and does not generate any additional pollutants. Despite several advantages, current PEMFCs are not yet widely used or commercialized, because they remain too expensive, do not have enough durability, and require very pure hydrogen as a fuel.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

12-Silicotungstic Acid Doped Phosphoric Acid Imbibed Polybenzimidazole for Enhanced Protonic Conductivity for High Temperature Fuel Cell Applications

Nguyen

Ziolo

Yang

et al. 2017

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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12-Silicotungstic acid, a heteropoly acid (HPA) -was incorporated into phosphoric acid (PA) doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membrane that exhibited strong mechanical stability, excellent proton conductivity, and can be used for high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). At 160 • C, an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) fitting of the fuel cells data showed the membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) made of PBI/20%HPA/PA had three times lower ohmic resistance (0.057 ± 0.002 Ohm * cm 2 ) as compared to the control reference of PBI/PA (0.160 Ohm * cm 2 ). In addition, the ohmic resistance of the composite MEA remained unchanged while the charge transfer resistance decreased after 313 hours conditioning. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), magic angle spinning -nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed 12-silicotungstic acid inhibits water from escaping the membrane at elevated temperatures and adds more acid sites, providing additional paths for proton transport. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) were used to confirm the structure and morphology of PBI/20%HPA/PA membrane prior making the MEAs. Fuel cell technologies have the potential to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and to reduce associated emissions of pollutants as the global population continues to grow. Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have the advantage of being fully scalable for stationary power generation than other types of fuel cells. PEMFCs have outstanding power density, rapid start-up, and high efficiency. 1In addition, the operation of PEMFCs is straightforward and does not generate any additional pollutants. Despite several advantages, current PEMFCs are not yet widely used or commercialized, because they remain too expensive, do not have enough durability, and require very pure hydrogen as a fuel.2 At the moment, PEMFCs generally operate below 100• C due to the need to fully humidify commonly used perfluorosulfonic acid electrolytes such as Nafion. At low operating temperatures, a small concentration of CO or SO 2 impurities in the fuel could poison the catalysts and lower the fuel cell performance. Therefore, current PEMFCs require high purity hydrogen that can only be cost-effectively produced from natural gas at this time. Furthermore, the humidification of fuel and oxidant in low temperature PEMFCs requires a complicated humidification system. These technical challenges can be addressed by increasing operating temperatures above 120• C. High temperature operation is a promising way to improve PEMFC performance; it has been shown that higher operating temperatures would increase chemical kinetics at the anode and dramatically enhance the electrode tolerance to fuel impurities, which allows for the use of lower-cost hydrogen.3 In addition, fuel cell operation above 120• C can tolerate up to 1% CO and 10 ppm SO 2 . Operating at elevated temperatures would also provid...

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Porphyrin Helical Nanochannel‐Assembled Polybenzimidazole Membranes Doped with Phosphoric Acid for Fuel Cells Operating in a Temperature Range of 25–200 °C

Xu,

Wang,

Guo

et al. 2023

Adv Funct Materials

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High‐temperature proton‐exchange membrane fuel cells (HT‐PEMFCs) fabricated with phosphoric acid (PA)‐doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) show apparent technical advantages. In practical automotive applications, achieving cold start‐up capability is crucial. In this work, a kind of branched block proton exchange membrane (PEM) based on PBI with a low content of porphyrin ring (<1 mol.%) is reported as a branched monomer. Self‐assembly into high‐density helical nanochannels under the synergistic effect of phase separation and porphyrin π−π stacking, thus the PEM can maintain a high level of PA doping. Specifically, the PA/1.8TCPP‐BrPy‐OPBI membrane shows a proton conductivity of 0.169 and 0.071 S cm−1, as well as an H2‐O2 fuel cell peak power density of 1077 and 357 mW cm−2 at 180 and 80 °C without humidification and backpressure, respectively. The membrane electrode assembly (MEA) can exhibit good fuel cell stability, with a voltage decay rate of only 7.0 µV h−1 at 80 °C. Furthermore, it maintains a peak power density of 93% even after 150 start‐up/shut‐down cycles at 25 °C. This work expands the operating temperature range of conventional PBI membranes between 25 and 200 °C and thus provides a novel strategy for high‐performance PBI‐based HT‐PEMFCs.

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Recent advances in polybenzimidazole/phosphoric acid membranes for high‐temperature fuel cells

Abstract: A review of phosphoric acid‐impregnated polybenzimidazole‐type polymer membranes is presented, examining recent advances in the understanding and fabrication of the membranes and offering a perspective on the future of this technology.

Cited by 119 publications

References 89 publications

Nanotechnology for environmentally sustainable electromobility

Nanotechnology for environmentally sustainable electromobility

12-Silicotungstic Acid Doped Phosphoric Acid Imbibed Polybenzimidazole for Enhanced Protonic Conductivity for High Temperature Fuel Cell Applications

Porphyrin Helical Nanochannel‐Assembled Polybenzimidazole Membranes Doped with Phosphoric Acid for Fuel Cells Operating in a Temperature Range of 25–200 °C

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