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A proton-exchange membrane, or polymer-electrolyte membrane (PEM), is a semipermeable membrane generally made from ionomers and designed to conduct protons while acting as an electronic insulator and reactant barrier, e.g. to oxygen and hydrogen gas. [1]
The proton-exchange membrane is commonly made of materials such as perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA, sold commercially as Nafion and Aquivion), which minimize gas crossover and short circuiting of the fuel cell. A disadvantage of fluor containing polymers is the fact that during production (and disposal) PFAS products are formed.
Whereas the common PEM fuel cell, also called Low Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell (LT-PEM), must usually be operated with hydrogen with high purity of more than 99.9 % the HT-PEM fuel cell is less sensitive to impurities and thus is typically operated with reformate gas with hydrogen concentration of about 50 to 75 %.
Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis is the electrolysis of water in a cell equipped with a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) [3] that is responsible for the conduction of protons, separation of product gases, and electrical insulation of the electrodes. The PEM electrolyzer was introduced to overcome the issues of partial load, low ...
The acidic oxide ceramics are sometimes broken into their own class of protonic ceramic fuel cells termed "solid acid fuel cells". Some PCFCs operate at high enough temperatures that fuels can be electrochemically oxidized at the anode, not needing the intermediate step of producing hydrogen through reforming process [ citation needed ] .
Hydrocarbon variants are currently being developed and are expected to succeed fluoropolymers. This barrier allows the transport of the protons from the anode to the cathode through the membrane but forces the electrons to travel around a conductive path to the cathode. The most commonly used Nafion PEMs are Nafion XL, 112, 115, 117, and 1110.
Advantages of this class of fuel cells include high combined heat and power efficiency, long-term stability, fuel flexibility, low emissions, and relatively low cost. The largest disadvantage is the high operating temperature which results in longer start-up times and mechanical and chemical compatibility issues.
[2] [3] [4] Nafion has received a considerable amount of attention as a proton conductor for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells because of its excellent chemical and mechanical stability in the harsh conditions of this application. The chemical basis of Nafion's ion-conductive properties remain a focus of extensive research. [2]