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On the Prospects for Phosphonated Polymers as Proton-Exchange Fuel Cell Membranes

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Author

Editor

  • Tim Zhao
  • Klaus-Dieter Kreuer
  • Trung Nguyen

Summary, in English

The major challenge in the development of new polymer membranes for fuel cells lies currently in the demand for durable membranes that allows fuel cell operation at high temperatures without extensive humidification requirements. Access to these membranes promises important benefits concerning the complexity, cost and performance of the fuel cell system. In this context, membranes functionalized with covalently linked phosphonic acid may potentially show some crucial advantages in relation to the commonly employed sulfonated membranes. Because of the hydrogen bonding and amphoteric properties of the phosphonic acids, the former membranes may transport protons through structure diffusion under low humidity conditions. At high water contents the protons may instead be transported through the dynamics of the water, much in the same way as in conventional sulfonated membranes. Furthermore, phosphonated polymers generally show a high hydrolytic and thermal stability due to the strength of the C-P bond, which is especially critical under high-temperature operation. However, it is clear that the molecular architecture of the phosphonated polymers requires a very careful design in order to reach these advantageous membrane properties. In addition, phosphonated polymers are in general more complicated to prepare than the corresponding sulfonated ones. The present treatise critically surveys the current literature on synthetic approaches to phosphonated polymers and the properties of phosphonated membranes, and outlines some potential research directions for the development of new efficient fuel cell materials.

Publishing year

2007

Language

English

Pages

119-185

Publication/Series

Advances in Fuel Cells

Volume

1

Document type

Book chapter

Publisher

Elsevier

Topic

  • Chemical Sciences

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISBN: 0-08-045394-5
  • ISBN: -13: 978-0-08-045394-1
  • ISSN: 1752-301X