High-temperature proton exchange membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cells based on phosphoric acid-doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes were invented in 1994 by professor Bob Savinell and his coworkers at Case Western Reserve University [1]. The membrane electrolyte is a unique material that is capable of practical proton conductivity at temperatures of up to 200^oC under anhydrous conditions. This ground-breaking invention has led to the start of a frontier research area for fuel cells and related technologies, as indicated by an annual publication of ca. 200 items and citation of 10,000 times in the last decade.

Based on this type of membrane materials, the HT-PEM technology has developed, with operating features including little humidification, high CO tolerance, easy thermal management and thermal integration with methanol reformer.[2] Significant efforts from international industries are currently made towards commercialization and products are now on the market. Research institutions and industries in Denmark have been active and leading in the research and development of the area. Further, the PBI membrane has also emerged as a promising membrane material for redox flow batteries (RFB).

This presentation is devoted to a brief summary of the fundamental understanding and technological deployment of this technology [3], as a remark of the extraordinary contributions of Professor Savinell to the electrochemistry and electrochemical engineering research.

References

[1] J.S. Wainright JS, J.T. Wang, D. Weng D, R.F. Savinell, M. Litt. Acid-doped polybenzimidazoles—a new polymer electrolyte. J Electrochem Soc 1995;142:L121–3.

[2] Q.F. Li, D. Aili, H. A. Hjuler, J.O. Jensen, High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells - Approaches, Status and Perspective, ISBN 978-3-319-17081-7; Springer International Publishing, New York, 2015.

[3] D. Aili, D. Henkensmeier, S. Martin, B. Singh, Y. Hu, J. O. Jensen, L. N. Cleemann, Q.F. Li, Polybenzimidazole‑Based High‑Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells: New Insights and Recent Progress, Electrochemical Energy Reviews (2020) 3:793–845