A Nature-inspired Antioxidant Strategy based on Porphyrin for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Containing Fuel Cell Membranes

Abstract

The use of hydrocarbon-based proton conducting membranes in fuel cells is currently hampered by the insufficient durability of the material in the device. Membrane aging is triggered by the presence of reactive intermediates, such as HO·, which attack the polymer and eventually lead to chain breakdown and membrane failure. An adequate antioxidant strategy tailored towards hydrocarbon-based ionomers is therefore imperative to improve membrane lifetime. In this work, studies on reaction kinetics using pulse radiolysis and γ-radiolysis as well as fuel cell experiments are performed. The feasibility of increasing the stability of hydrocarbon-based membranes against oxidative attack by implementing a nature-inspired antioxidant strategy is demonstrated. It is found that metalated-porphyrins are suitable for damage transfer and can be used in the fuel cell membrane to reduce membrane aging with no impact on fuel cell performance.