High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (HT – PEMFC) has been a topic of continuing investigations for the past 2 decades. In those 2 decades, durability remains one of the most important problems that hinder its feasibility in real commercial situations. Primary durability concerns come from the fuel cell’s conductivity loss when operated at long duration. The current project will address this issue of conductivity loss from a fundamental perspective. The objective is to understand the fundamental issues that cause conductivity loss and to develop a solution from the membrane-acid perspective.
The topics to be investigated in this research are:
- The acid dehydration / hydrolysis phenomenon between different polymers/monomers and acid
- Vapour pressure of phosphoric acid and its correlation with high water content and fuel cell operation
- Development of blend and composite PBI membrane as a way to increase durability and characterizing them in a fuel cell operation
The project is part of the 4M centre, funded by Innovation Fund Denmark