Fluoropolymers fuel cells

In contrast to past environmental problems associated with fluorocarbon refrigerants, the exceptional properties of fluorine in polymers have great environmental value. Some fluoropolymers are enabling green technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells for automobiles and oxygen-selective membranes for cleaner diesel combustion. 

One of the first fictional fluoropolymers was poly-1,2,2-trifluorostyrene. On one hand, it has much better oxidation and chemical resistance in comparison with common hydrocarbon polymers and, on the other hand, a wide range of functional groups can be attached to the aromatic ring. A sulfonated polymer was successfully used as a membrane for fuel cells by General Electric Co.3... 

As was noted above, functional fluoropolymers produced by copolymerization of fluoroolefins with functional PFAVE have several unique properties, with the main disadvantage of these materials being the extremely high cost of functional monomers and the resulting high cost of the functional polymers produced from them. The fact that they are so expensive limits their wider industrial application in other fields such as catalysis and membrane separation, except for chlorine-alkali electrolysis and fuel cells, where the only suitable materials are fully fluorinated polymers because of the extreme conditions associated with those processes. 

HorsfaU, J. A. and LoveU, K. V. 2002. Comparison of fuel cell performance of selected fluoropolymer and hydrocarbon based grafted copolymers incorporating acrylic acid and styrene sulfonic acid. Polymers for Advanced Technologies 13 381-390. 

Perpall, M. W., Smith, D. W., Jr., DesMarteau, D. D. and Greager, S. E. 2006. Alternative trifluorovinyl ether derived fluoropolymer membranes and functionalized carbon composite electrodes for fuel cells. Journal of Macromolecular Science Part C Polymer Reviews 46 297-313. 

Terpolymer blends containing poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-perfluoro-a-olefins) and platinum nanoparticles imbedded in Nation 1100 fluoropolymer resin were previously prepared by the authors (1) and used as electrodes in fuel cells. 

We will continue platform extensions, taking Nafion fluoropolymer membranes from chloralkali cells and catalysts to advanced fuel cells, and Kapton polyimide film from flat electronic computer circuits to complex flexible circuits in cell... 

Souzy, R. and Ameduri, B., Functional fluoropolymers for fuel cell membranes. Prog. Polym. Sci., 30, 644, 2005. 

PEMFC (proton exchange membrane) uses fluoropolymer or similar type membranes such as SPEEK. Microbial and direct methanol fuel cells fall into this category also. 

Zhang Y, Pang J, Wu Y, Xu H, Chi X, Li W, Yang Y, Yan G (2012) Novel fluoropolymer anion exchange membrane for alkaline direct methanol fuel cells. J Colloid Interface Sd 381 59-66... 

Gubler, L., Slaski, M., Wallasch, F., Wokaun, A., Scherer, G.G. Radiation grafted fuel cell membranes based on co-grafting of a-methylstyrene and methacrylonitrile into a fluoropolymer base film. J. Membr. Sci. 339, 68-77 (2009)... 

Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM), commonly synonymous with DuPont s Nation membrane and used in both PEM fuel cells and DMFCs, requires aqueous conditions for suitable ionic conductivity and therefore needs insulation against freezing, and requires rigorous humidity control. Although other membrane chemistries are available, the sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based fluoropolymer-copolymer chemistry used in Naflon and other brand name membranes is still the material of choice. 

Simplicity and promise of low cost - Fuel cells are extremely simple. They are made in layers of repetitive components, and they have no moving parts. Because of this, they have the potential to be mass produced at a cost comparable to that of existing energy conversion technologies or even lower. To date, the fuel cells are still expensive for either automotive or stationary power generation, primarily because of use of expensive materials, such as sulfonated fluoropolymers used as proton exchanged membrane, and noble metals, such as platinum or ruthenium, used as catalysts. 

The electronic and communications technologies segment introduced 218 new products during 2005 including new fluoropolymer films for photovoltaic and fuel cell applications. R6cD activity... 

---