Improved Membranes for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

直接甲醇燃料电池（DMFC）动力汽车被预见为未来的选择。然而，DMFC的发展一直受到诸如阳极中毒和甲醇通过聚合物电解质膜渗透到阴极室的若干技术挑战的阻碍。约100-150 mV的电池电压损失可归因于阴极室中甲醇的存在;部分损失可归因于混合电位现象，部分归因于阴极催化剂的失活。因此，期望开发一种将防止或最小化甲醇渗透的膜电解质。该提案提出了通过膜改性使甲醇渗透最小化的某些方法。将使用某些惰性聚合物材料和全氟磺酸聚合物的组合来开发将表现出降低的甲醇渗透性，同时保持容易的质子传输的复合或层压膜。将在以甲醇为燃料的PEM燃料电池中测试发现具有足够的离子传导性和降低的甲醇渗透性的膜。

Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) powered vehicles are foreseen as the choice of the future. However, the development of DMFC has been hampered by several technical challenges such as anode poisoning and permeation of methanol through the polymer electrolyte membrane into the cathode compartment. Approximately 100-150 mV loss in cell voltage can be attributed to the presence of methanol in the cathode compartment; part of the loss is attributable to the mixed potential phenomenon, and part to the inactivation of the cathode catalyst. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a membrane electrolyte that will prevent or minimize the permeation of methanol. This proposal addresses certain approaches toward minimizing methanol permeation through membrane modifications. A compounded or laminated membrane that will exhibit reduced methanol permeability, while maintaining facile proton transport will be developed using a combination of certain inert polymeric materials and perfluorosulfonic acid polymers. Membranes found to have adequate ionic conductivity and reduced methanol permeability will be tested in a PEM fuel cell with methanol as the fuel.