Advanced Research on Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymeric Membranes".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 3257

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi 440-746, Republic of Korea
Interests: anion exchange membranes; polymer electrolyte membrane; nano-structured materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In proton exchange membranes, several fuel cells have been developed, such as Nafion, sulfonated poly(ether) sulfone, sulfonated poly(ether) ketone, and polyimides, but issues remain regarding long-term fuel cell operation. In addition, organic–inorganic polymer electrolyte membranes have also been developed using graphene, TiO2, SiO2, graphitic carbon nitride and so on. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) can yield better gas diffusion layer, catalyst, loading amount of catalyst, gas flow, cell temperature and humidification. Since the polymer electrolyte membrane greatly affects the performance and durability of the device, interest in the role of the electrolyte membrane has been increasing. In particular, the development of PEMFCs with low-cost, long-term performance which can take place of commercial membranes is a research scope for the development of advanced electrochemical energy devices. 

As a Guest Editor of this Special Issue on “Latest Trends and Research Progress in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells”, I invite you to submit a manuscript for consideration and possible publication in Membranes.

The aim of this Special Issue is to contribute to the recent concepts and advancement of novel polymer electrolyte membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells in the context given above.

Dr. Murli Manohar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • proton exchange membrane
  • nano-structured materials
  • conductivity
  • fuel cells
  • long-term operation

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 2792 KiB  
Article
Reinforced Nafion Membrane with Ultrathin MWCNTs/Ceria Layers for Durable Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
by Dongsu Kim, Yeonghwan Jang, Eunho Choi, Ji Eon Chae and Segeun Jang
Membranes 2022, 12(11), 1073; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12111073 - 29 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2924
Abstract
For further commercializing proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, it is crucial to attain long-term durability while achieving high performance. In this study, a strategy for modifying commercial Nafion membranes by introducing ultrathin multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/CeO2 layers on both sides of the membrane [...] Read more.
For further commercializing proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, it is crucial to attain long-term durability while achieving high performance. In this study, a strategy for modifying commercial Nafion membranes by introducing ultrathin multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/CeO2 layers on both sides of the membrane was developed to construct a mechanically and chemically reinforced membrane electrode assembly. The dispersion properties of the MWCNTs were greatly improved through chemical modification with acid treatment, and the mixed solution of MWCNTs/CeO2 was uniformly prepared through a high-energy ball-milling process. By employing a spray-coating technique, the ultrathin MWCNTs/CeO2 layers were introduced onto the membrane surfaces without any agglomeration problem because the solvent rapidly evaporated during the layer-by-layer stacking process. These ultrathin and highly dispersed MWCNTs/CeO2 layers effectively reinforced the mechanical properties and chemical durability of the membrane while minimizing the performance drop despite their non-ion-conducting properties. The characteristics of the MWCNTs/CeO2 layers and the reinforced Nafion membrane were investigated using various in situ and ex situ measurement techniques; in addition, electrochemical measurements for fuel cells were conducted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells)
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