Rational Materials and Structure Design for Improving the Performance and Durability of High Temperature Proton Exchange Membranes (HT‐PEMs)

Abstract

Hydrogen energy as the next‐generation clean energy carrier has attracted the attention of both academic and industrial fields. A key limit in the current stage is the operation temperature of hydrogen fuel cells, which lies in the slow development of high‐temperature and high‐efficiency proton exchange membranes. Currently, much research effort has been devoted to this field, and very innovative material systems have been developed. The authors think it is the right time to make a short summary of the high‐temperature proton exchange membranes (HT‐PEMs), the fundamentals, and developments, which can help the researchers to clearly and efficiently gain the key information. In this paper, the development of key materials and optimization strategies, the degradation mechanism and possible solutions, and the most common morphology characterization techniques as well as correlations between morphology and overall properties have been systematically summarized.

Theoretical and Experimental Study of a Fuel Cell Stack Based on Perfluoro-sulfonic Acid Membranes Facing High Temperature Application Environments

“…It is important to highlight that PFSA–PEMs can dehydrate at high temperatures, leading to a rapid loss in the conductivity and output performance of cells. As a result, a critical challenge in current PEMFC technologies is the development of PEMs that suitable for elevated temperature applications. , …”

“…As a result, a critical challenge in current PEMFC technologies is the development of PEMs that suitable for elevated temperature applications. 47,48…”

Preparation of novel membranes with multiple hydrogen bonding sites and π-conjugated structure for high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells

“…1,2 The heart of the HT-PEMFC is the high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane (HT-PEM), which is generally made up of a basic polymer combined with a low volatile inorganic acid. 3,4 A prime example is the polybenzimidazole (PBI) membrane doped with phosphoric acid (PA). 1,5 Despite the extensive research efforts aimed at modifying PBI polymers and membranes to balance proton conductivity with mechanical stability 6–8 several challenges remain.…”

“…These include the poor solubility of high molecular weight PBI in conventional polar solvents, the complex synthetic procedures required to obtain high molecular weight polymers, and the carcinogenicity of the 3,3′,4,4′-tetraaminobiphenyl monomer. 3,5 Therefore, the synthesis of new, high-performance HT-PEMs has emerged as a focal point in recent years.…”

“…These primarily include bisphenol A polysulfone, poly(phenylene oxide), poly(vinyl chloride), and poly(arylene ether ketone). 3,19,20 Additionally, it has been previously reported that the conformational structure of polymers significantly influences the properties of electrolyte membranes. 6,21–24 For instance, Lee et al synthesized poly(aryl piperidinium) copolymers with dimethylfluorene segments, which enhanced the rigidity and phase-separated morphology of anion exchange membranes (AEMs), leading to superior conductivity and outstanding AEM fuel cell performance.…”