Effect of Membrane Properties on the Carbonation of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFC) are potentially very low-cost replacements for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, AEMFCs suffer from one very serious drawback: significant performance loss when CO<sub>2</sub> is present in the reacting oxidant gas (e.g., air) due to...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Membranes |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/11/2/102 |
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| author | Yiwei Zheng Lyzmarie Nicole Irizarry Colón Noor Ul Hassan Eric R. Williams Morgan Stefik Jacob M. LaManna Daniel S. Hussey William E. Mustain |
| author_facet | Yiwei Zheng Lyzmarie Nicole Irizarry Colón Noor Ul Hassan Eric R. Williams Morgan Stefik Jacob M. LaManna Daniel S. Hussey William E. Mustain |
| author_sort | Yiwei Zheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFC) are potentially very low-cost replacements for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, AEMFCs suffer from one very serious drawback: significant performance loss when CO<sub>2</sub> is present in the reacting oxidant gas (e.g., air) due to carbonation. Although the chemical mechanisms for how carbonation leads to voltage loss in operating AEMFCs are known, the way those mechanisms are affected by the properties of the anion exchange membrane (AEM) has not been elucidated. Therefore, this work studies AEMFC carbonation using numerous high-functioning AEMs from the literature and it was found that the ionic conductivity of the AEM plays the most critical role in the CO<sub>2</sub>-related voltage loss from carbonation, with the degree of AEM crystallinity playing a minor role. In short, higher conductivity—resulting either from a reduction in the membrane thickness or a change in the polymer chemistry—results in faster CO<sub>2</sub> migration and emission from the anode side. Although this does lead to a lower overall degree of carbonation in the polymer, it also increases CO<sub>2</sub>-related voltage loss. Additionally, an <i>operando</i> neutron imaging cell is used to show that as AEMFCs become increasingly carbonated their water content is reduced, which further drives down cell performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:18:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-223701b1b6024396b797704c4d3357a3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:18:32Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Membranes |
| spelling | doaj.art-223701b1b6024396b797704c4d3357a32023-12-03T11:49:57ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752021-01-0111210210.3390/membranes11020102Effect of Membrane Properties on the Carbonation of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel CellsYiwei Zheng0Lyzmarie Nicole Irizarry Colón1Noor Ul Hassan2Eric R. Williams3Morgan Stefik4Jacob M. LaManna5Daniel S. Hussey6William E. Mustain7Department of Chemical Engineering, Swearingen Engineering Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USADepartment of Chemical Engineering, Swearingen Engineering Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USADepartment of Chemical Engineering, Swearingen Engineering Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USADepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USADepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USANational Institute for Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USANational Institute for Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USADepartment of Chemical Engineering, Swearingen Engineering Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USAAnion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFC) are potentially very low-cost replacements for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, AEMFCs suffer from one very serious drawback: significant performance loss when CO<sub>2</sub> is present in the reacting oxidant gas (e.g., air) due to carbonation. Although the chemical mechanisms for how carbonation leads to voltage loss in operating AEMFCs are known, the way those mechanisms are affected by the properties of the anion exchange membrane (AEM) has not been elucidated. Therefore, this work studies AEMFC carbonation using numerous high-functioning AEMs from the literature and it was found that the ionic conductivity of the AEM plays the most critical role in the CO<sub>2</sub>-related voltage loss from carbonation, with the degree of AEM crystallinity playing a minor role. In short, higher conductivity—resulting either from a reduction in the membrane thickness or a change in the polymer chemistry—results in faster CO<sub>2</sub> migration and emission from the anode side. Although this does lead to a lower overall degree of carbonation in the polymer, it also increases CO<sub>2</sub>-related voltage loss. Additionally, an <i>operando</i> neutron imaging cell is used to show that as AEMFCs become increasingly carbonated their water content is reduced, which further drives down cell performance.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/11/2/102anion exchange membranefuel cellCO<sub>2</sub>carbonationconductivity |
| spellingShingle | Yiwei Zheng Lyzmarie Nicole Irizarry Colón Noor Ul Hassan Eric R. Williams Morgan Stefik Jacob M. LaManna Daniel S. Hussey William E. Mustain Effect of Membrane Properties on the Carbonation of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Membranes anion exchange membrane fuel cell CO<sub>2</sub> carbonation conductivity |
| title | Effect of Membrane Properties on the Carbonation of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells |
| title_full | Effect of Membrane Properties on the Carbonation of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Membrane Properties on the Carbonation of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Membrane Properties on the Carbonation of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells |
| title_short | Effect of Membrane Properties on the Carbonation of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells |
| title_sort | effect of membrane properties on the carbonation of anion exchange membrane fuel cells |
| topic | anion exchange membrane fuel cell CO<sub>2</sub> carbonation conductivity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/11/2/102 |
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