Proton exchange membrane performance comparison

General. There is no doubt that a comparison (updated in the 1990s) of the potential vs. current density plot for the various fuel cells (see Fig. 13.27) shows that the proton exchange membrane fuel cell with a perfluoropolymer sulfuric acid has superior performance (i.e., higher cell potential and hence efficiency) compared with the other types of fuel cells. Because this cell has been chosen for development by the majority of the automotive manufacturers, special attention is given here to its development. 

Figure 23.30. Comparison of the cumulative carbon corrosion following a 24-h 1.2 V potentiostatic hold at 80 °C in 1 M H2SO4 for two commercial carbons COl, C02 and one heat-treated carbon C03, and platinum and Pt/Co alloy catalysts on these carbons [95]. (Reprinted from Journal of Power Sources, 166(1), Prasanna M, Cho EA, Kim H-J, Oh I-H, Lim T-H, Hong S-A, Performance of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells using the catalyst-gradient electrode technique, 18-25, 2007, with permission from Elsevier.)...

Zhu Y, Zhu WH, Tatarchuk BJ (2014) Performance comparison between high temperature and traditional proton exchange membrane fuel cell stacks using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. J Power Sources 256 250-257... 

Chapter 6 deals with the description of different membranes used in direct alcohol fuel cells. Firstly, the properties of Nafion and its inorganic and organic composites are analyzed, focused on the proton cmiductivity and alcohol permeability, which determine the alcohol selectivity of the modified Nafion membranes. Then, a number of alternative non-fluorinated proton conducting membranes, including sulfonated polyimides, poly(arylene ether)s, polysulfones, poly(vinyl alcohol), polystyrenes, and acid-doped polybenzimidazoles, are described in relation to their selectivity in comparison to Nafion. The chapter includes a comprehensive summary of the relative selectivity of these membranes and their performance in direct alcohol fuel cells. Anion exchange membranes for alkaline direct alcohol fuel cells are also reviewed. 

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