Mechanisms of Ion and Water Transport in Perfluorosulfonated Ionomer Membranes for Fuel Cells

Abstract

To clarify transport mechanisms of ions and water molecules in perfluorosulfonated ionomer membranes, various membranes, such as one Nafion, two Aciplex, and four Flemion types, having different equivalent weight values (EW) were examined. H-, Li-, and Na-form samples were prepared for each membrane by immersion in 0.03 M HCl, LiCl, and NaCl aqueous solutions, and their properties in the fully hydrated state were investigated systematically. The water content of the membranes showed the tendency that the size and/or the number of ionic cluster region increases with decreasing EW value and the Li-form membranes have the most largely expanded ionic cluster regions. The ionic conductivity of the H-form membranes was considerably higher than that of the Li- and Na-form membranes. It was suggested that the proton in the membranes transports by the hopping mechanism and the Li+ and Na+ ions by the vehicle mechanism. In addition, the ionic conductivity of all membranes increased with increasing water content wit...