PBI-Based Membranes for High Temperature Pemfcs: Proton Transport and Functional Properties

High-temperature (100-200C, HT) PEMFCs are attracting for their applications in automotive. The development of devices operating in this temperature range likely requires the substitution of Nafion^TM with other polymers which are chemically and electrochemically stable, and can offer the required proton conductivity level (>10^-2 ohm^-1 cm^-1) under low humidity conditions.

Polybenzimidazole and its derivatives are good candidates to work as the electrolyte in HT-PEMFCs. In the last years we developed several PBI-based membranes, including moieties with more nitrogen atoms in the main chain (1, 2), with ether oxygens (3), sulphonic groups (4), fluorine atoms and also (nano)composites (5-8). In this paper, we report on the functional properties of this class of electrolytes, and discuss the proton transport mechanisms at different doping conditions.

 

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