The performance and stability of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) with membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) using different Nafion contents (30, 50 and 70 wt % or MEA30, MEA50 and MEA70, respectively) and graphitized carbon nanofiber (GNF) supported PtRu catalyst at the anode was investigated by a constant current measurement of 9 days (230 h) in a DMFC and characterization with various techni...

Although proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are considered as a safe and clean energy technology, aging phenomena of the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA), more particularly membrane, still restrict PEMFC lifetime. In this paper, ex-situ accelerated chemical degradation – via Fenton's reagents exposure reinforced Nafion™ XL is performed in order to investigate impact on structure prope...

Operating temperature can be a limiting factor in reliable applications of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Nanoindentation tests were performed on perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes (Nafion® 117) in order to study the influence of the temperature condition on their mechanical properties. The hardness and reduced modulus of Nafion® 117 were measured within a certain temperature r...

A highly ordered mesoporous Nafion membrane with a remarkable water retention ability was synthesized via a micelle templating method with self-assembled Pluronic F108 surfactants and its capability to operate under completely dry gas streams is demonstrated.

An investigation of water transport across the membrane of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell is performed to gain further insight into water management issues and the overall behavior of a representative phenomenological model. The model accounts for water transport via electro-osmotic drag and diffusion and is solved using a finite volume method for a one-dimensional isothermal system. Tran...

*Correspondence: Murugesan Vijayakumar and Wei Wang, Energy and Environmental Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352, USA e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Lack of comprehensive understanding about the interactions between Nafion membrane and battery electrolytes prevents the straightforward tailoring of optimal materials ...

Over the last decade, there has been a wealth of application for immobilized and stabilized enzymes including biocatalysis, biosensors, and biofuel cells. In most bioelectrochemical applications, enzymes or organelles are immobilized onto an electrode surface with the use of some type of polymer matrix. This polymer scaffold should keep the enzymes stable and allow for the facile diffusion of m...

This nanorheological study addresses the water transport hindrance in perfluorinated ionomer membranes (Nafion® H+ form) in conjunction with structural relaxation properties of the polymer matrix. A low-temperature relaxation of the “dry” Nafion® matrix at 79 ◦C, about 35 ◦C below the glass transition temperature, was found to be responsible for a steady improvement of the water transport above...