Speaker
Description
Hydrogen fuel cells have proven to be the best alternative to fossil fuels for ecofriendly and high performing clean power generation. Among the various types of fuel cells, proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has demonstrated a wider range of applications mainly because of low operating temperature (50 oC – 80 oC), high efficiency, and higher power range (1KW – 100 KW). In PEMFC, the electrolyte membrane plays a vital role for its performance and durability. A type of perfluoro sulfuric acid (PFSA) based membrane, Nafion® by Dupont, is the state-of-the-art (SOA) electrolyte membrane for PEMFC over 50 years, however, it offers relatively lower durability due to high swelling at hydrated stage, low mechanical strength, gas permeability, and unstable proton conductivity under harsh conditions. Recently, an advanced electrolyte membrane with high dimensional stability has been developed in our laboratory by incorporating PFSA ionomer solution into the porous poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) substrate. The idea was to develop a robust electrolyte membrane with low PFSA content and resolve some drawbacks of Nafion® membrane. In the membrane designing process, the issue of incompatibility between hydrophobic PTFE and hydrophilic PFSA polymer interface was addressed by surface modification of PTFE substrate with semi-hydrophilic material. The developed composite membrane exhibits significantly improved properties compared to the Nafion® membrane. For instance, the swelling ratio reduced by 60% and the proton conductivity increased by higher than 20%. The prepared membrane was tested in single cell PEMFC setup where it demonstrated excellent performance with peak power density of 1670 mW cm 2, which was more than 50% higher compared to Nafion® membrane. The composite membrane also performed very well in low hydrated state and showed longer durability demonstrating the superiority over SOA Nafion® membrane.
| Academic year | 4th year |
|---|---|
| Research Advisor | Anima Bose |
