Abstract
Nafion membranes are still the dominating material used in the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) technologies. They are widely used in several applications thanks to their excellent properties: high proton conductivity and high chemical stability in both oxidation and reduction environment. However, they have several technical challenges: reactants permeability, which results in reduced performance, dependence on water content to perform preventing the operation at higher temperatures or low humidity levels, and chemical degradation. This paper reviews novel composite membranes that have been developed for PEM applications, including direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), hydrogen PEM fuel cells (PEMFCs), and water electrolysers (PEMWEs), aiming at overcoming the drawbacks of the commercial Nafion membranes. It provides a broad overview of the Nafion-based membranes, with organic and inorganic fillers, and non-fluorinated membranes available in the literature for which various main properties (proton conductivity, crossover, maximum power density, and thermal stability) are reported. The studies on composite membranes demonstrate that they are suitable for PEM applications and can potentially compete with Nafion membranes in terms of performance and lifetime.
Highlights
During the last 100 years the world average temperature has increased by almost 0.8 ◦ C [1], becoming the most critical environmental issue of our time
The impact of proton conductivity is stronger than methanol crossover on direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) performance, as confirmed by tests conducted on the cell, the performance of zirconium phosphate (ZrP)/PTFE
This review analysed several composite membranes developed in recent years for the use in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) technologies to overcome the drawbacks of the commercial perfluorosulfonated membranes
Summary
During the last 100 years the world average temperature has increased by almost 0.8 ◦ C [1], becoming the most critical environmental issue of our time. Even though there are many different factors responsible, the greatest concern is greenhouse gas emissions due to human activities linked to energy production and use. Recently a medium-long term strategy was agreed, stating that the European energy efficiency should be improved by 27% and the renewables energy input should increase by up to the 27% of the total share before 2030. Within this overall framework, it is becoming increasingly important that research and development of new technologies are intensified to allow the penetration of more efficient energy conversion systems. Polymer electrolyte membrane technologies can play an important role
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