Physical theory of pore formation, water transport and proton flow in polymer electrolyte membranes

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Polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) are used in hydrogen fuel cells as proton conductive media. Their operation is based on structural diffusion of protons in water-filled nanopores, facilitated by an ion exchange mechanism between acidic groups and water. The conductivity depends critically on the pore morphology, the concentration of free protons and their mobility, and the structure of the underlying pore network which emerges from phase separation of the PEM into hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains.