Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells
S. Mehdipour-Ataei, M. Mohammadi
Fuel cells as a new source of energy generation are under the focus. According to research results, not only are polymer electrolyte fuel cells superior but also the use of methanol solution instead of hydrogen as a fuel will eliminate problems associated with the use of high purity hydrogen. So development and design of a polymeric membrane as a vital component which determines the performance is the priorities of research in this area. Although Nafion membranes are the most common, high permeability of these membranes to methanol lead to a significant loss of performance. To overcome this obstacle, modifying existing polymers or preparing new structures have been proposed. In this regard, this chapter introduces the polymeric membranes used in methanol fuel cells. Therefore, applied polymers in methanol fuel cells including perfluorinated ionomers; partially- and non-fluorinated polymers including polypropylene-based membranes, and the other polymer structures are described. Also, modified membranes based on these polymers with improved properties are presented. Finally, organic-inorganic composites, newly developed structures with high performance, and some common polymer electrolyte membranes are explained.
Keywords
Direct Methanol Fuel Cell, Polymeric Membranes, Nafion, Hydrocarbon-Based Polymers, Organic-Inorganic Composites, Multilayer, Pore-Filled Structures
Published online 5/5/2019, 30 pages
Citation: S. Mehdipour-Ataei, M. Mohammadi, Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells, Materials Research Foundations, Vol. 49, pp 129-158, 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644900192-4
Part of the book on Nanomaterials for Alcohol Fuel Cells
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