Structurally modulated and functionalized carbon nanotubes as potential filler for Nafion matrix toward improved power output and durability in proton exchange membrane fuel cells operating at reduced relative humidity

Vinothkannan, Mohanraj; Kim, Ae Rhan; Ryu, Sung Kwan; Yoo, Dong Jin

doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120393

Cited by 63 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The 0.5GO@mMMT/Nafion composite membrane-based single cell exhibited the highest power density of 546 mW·cm –2 at 50 °C in a humid environment as well as the lowest Ohmic resistance ( R Ω ) of 0.15 Ω, which was consistent with the conductivity results (Figure ). This peak power density of the 0.5GO@mMMT/Nafion composite membranes sample was more than 60% higher than that of the recast Nafion membrane (332 mW·cm –2 ) but also higher than the Nafion-based cell performance at 60 °C/20% RH, 80 °C/50% RH, and 80 °C/100% RH. − The GO@mMMT/Nafion-based PEMFC also presented the highest power density of 234 mW·cm –2 at 50 °C/30% RH and 166 mW·cm –2 at 50 °C under anhydrous conditions, as shown in Figure S6c. After the durability test, the open-circuit voltage of GO@mMMT/Nafion only decreased by 2.6% from 0.986 to 0.945 V after 72 h, as shown in Figure S6d.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Graphene Oxide-Intercalated Microbial Montmorillonite to Moderate the Dependence of Nafion-Based PEMFCs in High-Humidity Environments

Meng

Zou

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Energy Mater.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The most fatal disadvantage of Nafion-based proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is their significant performance losses at low relative humidities (RH ≤ 80%), making external humidification necessary. In this work, a graphene oxide (GO)-intercalated microbial montmorillonite (mMMT) layered stack (GO@mMMT) was prepared to enhance the proton conductivity of a Nafion membrane under a low humidity at elevated temperatures. The prepared mMMT had a high specific surface area and pore volume due to microbial mineralization, allowing GO to act as a spacer intercalated between MMT layers. This layered stack greatly enhanced the water absorbance and retention capacity of GO@mMMT/Nafion composite membranes. The GO@mMMT/Nafion composite membrane exhibited excellent proton conductivity under various humidities. Particularly, the 0.5GO@mMMT/Nafion sample achieved a proton conductivity of 36.4 mS·cm–1 at 80 °C/98% RH and 17.3 mS·cm–1 at 80 °C/20% RH, which was 82% and 188% higher than that of the recast Nafion membrane, respectively. The assembled single cell reached a peak power density of 546 mW·cm–2, which was 60% higher than that of the recast Nafion single cell. These results indicate that the Nafion composite membranes with GO@mMMT incorporated layered stacks show substantial potential for PEMFC applications with simplified water management.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Graphene Oxide-Intercalated Microbial Montmorillonite to Moderate the Dependence of Nafion-Based PEMFCs in High-Humidity Environments

Meng

Zou

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Energy Mater.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The phenomenon has been reported by many researchers. 14,18,23 On the contrary, all CeO 2 -MNCS@Nafion hybrid membranes demonstrated superior proton conductivity than recast Nafion. Among them, CeO 2 -MNCS@Nafion-1.5 exhibited the highest proton conductivity values of 0.104 S cm −1 at 30 °C and 0.239 S cm −1 at 80 °C, 2.17 and 1.85 times higher than those of recast Nafion at 30 and 80 °C, respectively.…”

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, enhancing the antioxidant stability of Nafion-based membranes can effectively improve the durability of PEMFC. 14,18,19 The incorporation of free radical scavengers (FRS) can be an effective strategy for mitigating the radical attack to the PEMs, thus extending the durability and lifespan of PEMFC. Currently, many studies that incorporate FRS into PEMs have been reported, including cerium (Ce) and manganese (Mn).…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the polytetrafluoroethylene backbone of Nafion is chemically inert, the carboxyl groups at the end of the backbone, the ether and C–S bonds on the side chains, and the tertiary carbon are subject to chemical degradation by free radicals, for example, hydrogen ( · H), hydroxyl ( · OH), and peroxyl ( · OOH) radicals. , Therefore, during the operation in PEMFC, the PFSA membrane would suffer from the decrease in proton conductivity, the thickness thinning, and the formation of cracks and pinholes, thus resulting in the fuel cell failure after long-term exposure to free radicals. Therefore, enhancing the antioxidant stability of Nafion-based membranes can effectively improve the durability of PEMFC. ,, …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Synergistic Utilization of a CeO₂-Anchored Bifunctionalized Metal–Organic Framework in a Polymer Nanocomposite toward Achieving High Power Density and Durability of PEMFC

Duan

Pang

Liu

et al. 2023

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The free radicals produced during the long-term operation of fuel cells can accelerate the chemical degradation of the proton exchange membrane (PEM). In the present work, the widely used free radical scavenger CeO 2 was anchored on aminofunctionalized metal−organic frameworks, and flexible alkyl sulfonic acid side chains were tethered onto the surface of inorganic nanoparticles. The prepared CeO 2 -anchored bifunctionalized metal−organic framework (CeO 2 -MNCS) was used as a promising synergistic filler to modify the Nafion matrix for addressing the detrimental effect of pristine CeO 2 on the performance and durability of PEMs, including decreased proton conductivity and the migration problem of CeO 2 . The obtained hybrid membranes exhibited a high proton conductivity up to 0.239 S cm −1 , enabling them to achieve a high power density of 591.47 mW cm −2 in a H 2 /air PEMFC single cell, almost 1.59 times higher than that of recast Nafion. After 115 h of acceleration testing, the OCV decay ratio of the hybrid membrane was decreased to 0.54 mV h −1 , which was significantly lower than that of recast Nafion (2.18 mV h −1 ). The hybrid membrane still maintained high power density, low hydrogen crossover, and unabated catalytic activity of the catalyst layer after the durability test. This study provides an effective one-stone-two-birds strategy to develop highly durable PEMs by immobilizing CeO 2 without sacrificing proton conductivity, allowing for the realization of improvement on the performance and sustained durability of PEMFC simultaneously.

show abstract

“…Evaluation of water uptake and swelling degree: Water uptake and swelling ration was calculated using the reported method. 51 Each of the membranes was dried in a vacuum oven at 60 °C overnight to remove the moisture. Then the membranes were soaked in water at room temperature for 24 h and the water uptake was calculated from the weight of the each membrane before and after soaking using Equation (1):…”

Section: Materials Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergistic Strengthening in Graphene Oxide and Oxidized Single‐walled Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Material for use as Electrolytes in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Rahman

Rabin

Islam

et al. 2022

Chemistry An Asian Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Herein, we report an efficient proton exchange membrane formed from a synergistic combination of graphene oxide (GO) and oxidized single-walled carbon nanotube (CNTOX) by the freeze-drying route that gives rise to enhanced fuel cell power density. At 25 °C and 100% relative humidity (RH), the 3DGO-CNTOX hybrid shows remarkably high out-of-plane and in-plane proton conductivities of 6.64 × 10 À 2 and 5.08 S cm À 1 , respectively. Additionally, the measured performance using prepared films as proton conduction membranes in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) exhibited a peak power density of 117.21 mW cm À 2 . The high performance of these films can be ascribed to the freeze-dried-driven structural morphology of 3DGO-CNTOX that facilitates higher water retention capacity as well as the synergistic strengthening effect between GO and CNTOX with a highly interconnected proton conduction network. The current results imply that the new 3DGO-CNTOX hybrid material has potential for wide application as a proton exchange membrane.[a] M.

show abstract

Structurally modulated and functionalized carbon nanotubes as potential filler for Nafion matrix toward improved power output and durability in proton exchange membrane fuel cells operating at reduced relative humidity

Cited by 63 publications

References 40 publications

Graphene Oxide-Intercalated Microbial Montmorillonite to Moderate the Dependence of Nafion-Based PEMFCs in High-Humidity Environments

Graphene Oxide-Intercalated Microbial Montmorillonite to Moderate the Dependence of Nafion-Based PEMFCs in High-Humidity Environments

Synergistic Utilization of a CeO₂-Anchored Bifunctionalized Metal–Organic Framework in a Polymer Nanocomposite toward Achieving High Power Density and Durability of PEMFC

Synergistic Strengthening in Graphene Oxide and Oxidized Single‐walled Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Material for use as Electrolytes in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Structurally modulated and functionalized carbon nanotubes as potential filler for Nafion matrix toward improved power output and durability in proton exchange membrane fuel cells operating at reduced relative humidity

Cited by 63 publications

References 40 publications

Graphene Oxide-Intercalated Microbial Montmorillonite to Moderate the Dependence of Nafion-Based PEMFCs in High-Humidity Environments

Graphene Oxide-Intercalated Microbial Montmorillonite to Moderate the Dependence of Nafion-Based PEMFCs in High-Humidity Environments

Synergistic Utilization of a CeO2-Anchored Bifunctionalized Metal–Organic Framework in a Polymer Nanocomposite toward Achieving High Power Density and Durability of PEMFC

Synergistic Strengthening in Graphene Oxide and Oxidized Single‐walled Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Material for use as Electrolytes in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Synergistic Utilization of a CeO₂-Anchored Bifunctionalized Metal–Organic Framework in a Polymer Nanocomposite toward Achieving High Power Density and Durability of PEMFC