Self-assembled network polymer electrolyte membranes for application in fuel cells at 250 °C

Seungju Lee, Jong Geun Seong, YoungSuk Jo, Son-Jong Hwang, Gyeongseok Gwak, Yongha Park, Yeong Cheon Kim, Katie Heeyum Lim, Hee-Young Park, Jong Hyun Jang, Hyoung-Juhn Kim (), Suk-Woo Nam () and So Young Lee ()
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Seungju Lee: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Jong Geun Seong: Hanyang University
YoungSuk Jo: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Son-Jong Hwang: California Institute of Technology
Gyeongseok Gwak: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Yongha Park: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Yeong Cheon Kim: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Katie Heeyum Lim: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Hee-Young Park: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Jong Hyun Jang: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
Hyoung-Juhn Kim: Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KENTECH)
Suk-Woo Nam: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
So Young Lee: Korea Institute of Science and Technology

Nature Energy, 2024, vol. 9, issue 7, 849-861

Abstract: Abstract Operating polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells at high temperatures can simplify water management and allow integration with high-purity fuel processing units. However, existing polybenzimidazole (PBI)-based PEM fuel cells face challenges due to the instability of proton transport above 160 °C. Here we report a PEM composed of para-PBI (p-PBI) and cerium hydrogen phosphate (CeHP) that can be used in a fuel cell at up to 250 °C. During fabrication, echinoid-shaped CeHP particles form a well-dispersed and interconnected self-assembled network within the PBI matrix (SAN–CeHP–PBI), allowing them to outperform p-PBI and conventional CeHP–PBI PEMs in terms of proton transport above 200 °C. We report a SAN–CeHP–PBI-based fuel cell that reaches a maximum power density of 2.35 W cm−2 (at 250 °C in dry H2/O2) with negligible degradation over 500 h during thermal cycling (at 160–240 °C, H2/air). SAN–CeHP–PBI also demonstrates excellent CO tolerance, showing promise for integration with liquid hydrogen carrier systems.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41560-024-01536-4

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