Radiation-grafted membrane/electrode assemblies with improved interface

• Published in: Electrochimica acta Vol. 48; no. 3; pp. 247 - 254
• Main Authors: Huslage, Jörg, Rager, Timo, Schnyder, Bernhard, Tsukada, Akinori
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 11.12.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Equipments for energy generation and conversion: thermal, electrical, mechanical energy, etc; Exact sciences and technology; Fuel cells; Hot-pressing; Membrane/electrode interface; Nafion®-coating; Polymer electrolyte fuel cell; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Hot-pressing; ETFE, poly(ethylene- alt-tetrafluoroethylene); FEP, poly(tetrafluoroethylene- co-hexafluoropropylene); XPS, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; PSSA, poly(styrenesulfonic acid); Nafion®-coating; PVDF, poly(vinylidene difluoride); MEA, membrane/electrode assembly; PE, polyethylene; DVB, divinylbenzene; PTFE, poly(tetrafluoroethylene); IEC, ion exchange capacity; Membrane/electrode interface; PS, polystyrene; Polymer electrolyte fuel cell; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; PFA, poly(tetrafluoroethylene- co-perfluoro(alkyl vinyl ether)); Performance evaluation; Membrane electrode; Voltage current curve; Fluorine containing polymer; Photochemical grafting; Polymer solid electrolyte; Hydrogen fuel cells; Sulfonate polymer; Styrenesulfonic acid polymer; Electrical characteristic
• ISSN: 0013-4686; 1873-3859
• DOI: 10.1016/S0013-4686(02)00621-7

Recent progress is reported in preparing membrane/electrode assemblies for polymer electrolyte fuel cells based on radiation-grafted FEP-g-poly(styrenesulfonic acid) membranes. MEAs with an improved interface between the membrane and commercially available gas diffusion electrodes were obtained by Nafion®-coating of the membrane and hot-pressing. These improved MEAs showed both, performance data comparable to those of MEAs based on Nafion® 112 and an operation lifetime in H 2/O 2 fuel cells of more than 2000 h at 60 °C and 500 mA cm −2 current density.