PBI MEMBRANES FOR FUEL CELLS

摘要

A new process has been described that produces phosphoric acid loaded PBI membranes directly from the polymerization solution via a sol-gel process. The membranes were thermally stable at high temperatures and possessed mechanical properties that allowed for easy handling of the films. The conductivity of the films was found to increase with temperature and exhibited relatively high values at operating temperatures. At 160°C, a specific conductivity of 0.24S/cm was measured. Fuel cell performance was studied under hydrogen/air and hydrogen/oxygen conditions at ambient pressure. The performance of the cell in the presence of oxygen was substantially greater than that in the presence of air. Full characterization of PBI membranes prepared by the PPA process will be reported in subsequent publications.