Publications Details
Electrode Ionomers for High Temperature Fuel Cells
HT-PEMFCs offer advantages over LT-PEMFCs because of their higher operating temperatures. These advantages include higher catalytic activity, higher tolerance to impurities, and easier thermal management. LANL, in collaboration with SNL, has developed phosphate-quaternary ammonium ionpair coordinated proton exchange membranes for use in HT-PEMFCs. Fuel cells made with the ion-pair membranes have the potential to be operated at temperatures above 200 °C, however there is a tendency for the phosphoric acid to evaporate from the electrodes at temperatures above 180 °C. Thus, there is a need to develop an ionomer that can conduct protons at high temperatures and which can be processed into MEAs. Such a polymer also needs to be extremely durable in order to function at low pH, low RH, high temperature conditions.