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Polybenzimidazole/Porous Poly(tetrafluoro ethylene) Composite Membranes

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High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Abstract

One of the important factors that determine the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) performance is the efficiency of proton transfer across the proton exchange membrane (PEM) from the anode to the cathode. A PEM with a lower thickness (L) and higher conductivity (σ) has a lower resistance (L/σ) and thus higher proton transport efficiency. However, a thin PEM may be mechanically weak and exhibit high gas crossover which lowers the open circuit voltage. Thus obtaining a PEM with low thickness and high mechanical strength without increasing the gas crossover rate or reducing the proton conductivity is important for obtaining a high performance PEMFC. The composite membranes fabricated using a high mechanical strength porous thin film such as porous poly(tetrafluoro ethylene) (PTFE) as a supporting material for reinforcement has been demonstrated as an effective approach to reach those targets for proton conducting membranes based on Nafion or polybenzimidazole (PBI) doped with H3PO4. In this chapter, we first briefly describe the current status of the Nafion/PTFE composite membranes and then report the PBI/PTFE composite membrane preparations, characterizations, and their application in high temperature PEMFCs (operating at 120–200 °C). Some new polyelectrolyte/fiber reinforced composite membranes for high temperature PEMFC applications such as PBI reinforced with phosphoric acid compatible crosslinked PBI-polybenzoxazine nano-fiber and highly conducting polyelectrolytes (i.e., quaternized polysulfone and poly(ether sulfone)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) blend) reinforced with porous PTFE are also discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Fuel Cell Center, Yuan Ze University, Chung-Li, Taoyuan, 32003, Taiwan

    T. Leon Yu

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  1. T. Leon Yu
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Correspondence to T. Leon Yu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark

    Qingfeng Li

  2. Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark

    David Aili

  3. Danish Power Systems, Kvistgård, Denmark

    Hans Aage Hjuler

  4. Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical Univeristy of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark

    Jens Oluf Jensen

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Yu, T.L. (2016). Polybenzimidazole/Porous Poly(tetrafluoro ethylene) Composite Membranes. In: Li, Q., Aili, D., Hjuler, H., Jensen, J. (eds) High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17082-4_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17082-4_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-17081-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-17082-4

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