Development of WO3–Nafion Based Membranes for Enabling Higher Water Retention at Low Humidity and Enhancing PEMFC Performance at Intermediate Temperature Operation

Abstract

The proton exchange membrane (PEM) represents a pivotal material and a key challenge in developing fuel cell science and hydrogen technology. Nafion is the most promising polymer which will lead to its commercialisation. Hybrid membranes of nanosized tungsten oxide (WO3) and Nafion were fabricated, characterised, and tested in a single cell. The incorporation of 10 wt.% WO3 resulted in 21% higher water uptake, 11.7% lower swelling ratio, almost doubling the hydration degree, and 13% higher mechanical stability of the hybrid membrane compared to the Nafion XL. Compared to commercial Nafion XL, the rNF–WO-10 hybrid membrane showed an 8.8% and 20% increase in current density of the cell at 0.4 V operating at 80 and 95 °C with 1.89 and 2.29 A/cm2, respectively. The maximum power density has increased by 9% (0.76 W/cm2) and 19.9% (0.922 W/cm2) when operating at the same temperatures compared to the commercial Nafion XL membrane. Generally, considering the particular structure of Nafion XL, our Nafion-based membrane with 10 wt. % WO3 (rNF–WO-10) is a suitable PEM with a comparable performance at different operating conditions.

The Effect of Phosphotungstic Acid Filled on Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Polyvinyl Alcohol Matrix as the Polymer Electrolyte Membrane

“…Water molecule diffusion and proton mobility, which mostly occur in the amorphous phase rather than the crystalline phase, are necessary for the proton conduction of PEMs [41]. PEMs' strong proton conductivity is frequently complemented by their high water content [42]. all of which can help with proton transport.…”

Quantification of Organic Solvent Concentration Profiles in Ion Exchange Membranes Via Confocal Raman Microscopy

“…In addition to the reinforcement layer, silica particles are incorporated into the ionomer in Nafion XL. [68,69] Furthermore, the ionomer phase in Nafion XL has a lower EW and a lower degree of crystallinity than in Nafion 212. [39,44,70] These differences can be observed in the results from Nafion 212 and Nafion XL.…”

“…This behavior can be explained by the lower EW, the lower degree of crystallinity, and the hygroscopic silica particles in Nafion XL. [40,69,71,72] Further, the PTFE reinforcement layer hinders the swelling in the in-plane direction. Therefore, the through-plane swelling is more pronounced.…”

Recent Developments on Bioinspired Cellulose Containing Polymer Nanocomposite Cation and Anion Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cells (PEMFC and AFC)

“…According to the blend/composite formation with cellulose materials, the physicochemical properties of the membrane can be further altered. Moreover, various developments have been focused on, together with Nafion, such as blending and composite of various polymeric materials and inorganic fillers to decrease the cost of Nafion-based membranes [ 112 , 113 ]. In this connection, certain developments have already been made to CNC with Nafion [ 114 , 115 , 116 ].…”