Abstract
A combined modeling approach using kinetic Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations is applied to investigate both chemical and mechanical degradation of Nafion membranes on the molecular level. In different hydration conditions, two major degradation reactions are identified to be the main chain unzipping and the side chain scission. The dissolution process of Nafion is evaluated in terms of weight loss, production emission rate and evolution of functional groups. Further, the complicated structural deformation is preliminarily investigated by imposing linear strain on degraded Nafion membrane. Different craze patterns are compared before and after chemical degradation, and the mechanism of crack propagation is proposed. Finally, prospective applications of our modeling approach are addressed for future studies of membrane degradation phenomena under fuel cell operation conditions.
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