Proton exchange membrane fuel cells carbon monoxide-tolerant

Kwon K, Yoo DY, Park JO (2008) Experimental factors that influence carbon monoxide tolerance of high-temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cells. J Power Sources 185(l) 202-206... 

Figure 3.4. CO coverage on various surfaces of alloy electrodes, under steady H2 oxidation conditions at 20 mV vs. RHE in 0.1 M HCIO4 saturated with 100 ppm CO/H2 at room temperature [69]. (Reproduced by permission of ECS—The Electrochemical Society, from Holleck GL, Pasquarello DM, Clauson SL. Carbon monoxide tolerant anodes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.)...

HoUeck GL, PasquareUo DM, Clauson SL. Carbon monoxide tolerant anodes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Electrochem Soc Proceedings 1999 98(27) 150-162. 

High-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEM fuel cells), which use modified perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) polymers [1—3] or acid-base polymers as membranes [4—8], usually operate at temperatures from 90 to 200 °C with low or no humidity. The development of HT-PEM fuel cells has been pursued worldwide to solve some of the problems associated with current low-temperature PEM fuel cells (LT-PEM fuel cells, usually operated at <90 °C) these include sluggish electrode kinetics, low tolerance for contaminants (e.g. carbon monoxide (CO)), and complicated water and heat management [4,5]. However, operating a PEM fuel cell at >90 °C also accelerates degradation of the fuel cell components, especially the membranes and electrocatalysts [8]. 

The high-cost of materials and efficiency limitations that chemical fuel cells currently have is a topic of primaiy concern. For a fuel cell to be effective, strong acidic or alkaline solutions, high temperatures and pressures are needed. Most fuel cells use platinum as catalyst, which is expensive, limited in availability, and easily poisoned by carbon monoxide (CO), a by-product of many hydrogen production reactions in the fuel cell anode chamber. In proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, the type of fuel used dictates the appropriate type of catalyst needed. Within this context, tolerance to CO is an important issue. It has been shown that the PEM fuel cell performance drops significantly with a CO con-... 

Over the past decade, proton exchange membranes for fuel cells (PEMFCs) have undergone significant development. It has been demonstrated that the overall system size can be reduced and carbon monoxide tolerance can be increased by operating the fuel cell stack at much higher temperatures than 1(X) °C and even as high as 180 °C. However, the loss of water from a Nafion-type membrane at higher temperatures (>100 °C) results in a rapid loss of conductivity [92,93]. Thus, the development of a suitable alternate water-based proton... 

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