Performance Analysis of a HT-PEMFC System with 6FPBI Membranes Doped with Cross-Linkable Polymeric Ionic Liquid

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• High-temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) are crucial for clean energy.
• Developing robust membranes is key to improving HT-PEMFC performance and durability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and investigate a high-temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC) system.
• To evaluate the performance of composite membranes based on fluorine-containing polybenzimidazole (6FPBI) doped with cross-linkable polymer ionic liquid (cPIL).
• To analyze the impact of cPIL content on HT-PEMFC performance and optimize operating conditions.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication and characterization of 6FPBI composite membranes with varying cPIL doping levels.
• Experimental validation of a developed HT-PEMFC system model against experimental data.
• Parametric analysis of HT-PEMFC system performance under different operating conditions (temperature, pressure).

Main Results:

• The HT-PEMFC system with 6FPBI membranes doped with 20 wt% cPIL (6FPBI-cPIL 20) achieved a single cell power density of 4952.3 W·m-2.
• Excessive cPIL content led to performance degradation.
• The 6FPBI-cPIL 20 membranes demonstrated superior performance at elevated temperatures and pressures compared to undoped 6FPBI membranes.

Conclusions:

• The optimal cPIL content of 20 wt% in 6FPBI membranes significantly enhances HT-PEMFC performance.
• Operating HT-PEMFCs at higher inlet temperatures and hydrogen pressures, and reduced oxygen inlet pressure, improves system output and efficiency.
• The developed model accurately predicts HT-PEMFC performance with PA-PBI membranes, aiding future system design.