Fuel cell performance using a phosphonated polysulphone ionomer (PSUgPVPA) in the PEM cathode electrode

Rakel Wreland Lindström; Luis Guerrero Aguinaga; Alejandro Oyarce; Diego Ubeda; Mark Ingratta; Patric Jannasch; Göran Lindbergh

doi:10.1149/04523.0033ecst

Fuel cell performance using a phosphonated polysulphone ionomer (PSUgPVPA) in the PEM cathode electrode

Rakel Wreland Lindström, Luis Guerrero Aguinaga, Alejandro Oyarce, Diego Ubeda, Mark Ingratta, Patric Jannasch, Göran Lindbergh

Centre for Analysis and Synthesis

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Inexpensive and environmentally friendly electrolyte polymers that can be operated at higher temperatures and drier conditions are highly interesting for PEM fuel cells for automotive, portable power and stationary electricity generation applications. In this study an ionomer based on polysulfone grafted with poly(vinylphosphonic acid) (PSUgPVPA) in the cathode Pt/C catalyst layer (CL) was electrochemically characterized and compared to Nafion. The performance at different levels of humidity at 80 ºC was evaluated by polarization and cyclic voltammetry. The results show that the performance of the PSUgPVPA-based cathode CL is comparable to that of Nafion at 100% relative humidity (RH) but with some instabilities. However, at drier conditions significant losses of performance for the PSUgPVPA-based cathode was observed, concomitant to a reduced electrochemical surface area. The lower performance at low humidity is concluded to be due to a combination of lower proton conductivity and wettability or interference with oxygen reduction reaction at lower RH.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	33-45
Journal	ECS Transactions
Volume	45
Issue number	23
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1149/04523.0033ecst
Publication status	Published - 2013

Subject classification (UKÄ)

Chemical Sciences

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10.1149/04523.0033ecst

http://ecst.ecsdl.org/content/45/23/33.abstract?sid=066a24f0-3cbc-46ea-9798-3a1439fb0a1d

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title = "Fuel cell performance using a phosphonated polysulphone ionomer (PSUgPVPA) in the PEM cathode electrode",

abstract = "Inexpensive and environmentally friendly electrolyte polymers that can be operated at higher temperatures and drier conditions are highly interesting for PEM fuel cells for automotive, portable power and stationary electricity generation applications. In this study an ionomer based on polysulfone grafted with poly(vinylphosphonic acid) (PSUgPVPA) in the cathode Pt/C catalyst layer (CL) was electrochemically characterized and compared to Nafion. The performance at different levels of humidity at 80 ºC was evaluated by polarization and cyclic voltammetry. The results show that the performance of the PSUgPVPA-based cathode CL is comparable to that of Nafion at 100\% relative humidity (RH) but with some instabilities. However, at drier conditions significant losses of performance for the PSUgPVPA-based cathode was observed, concomitant to a reduced electrochemical surface area. The lower performance at low humidity is concluded to be due to a combination of lower proton conductivity and wettability or interference with oxygen reduction reaction at lower RH.",

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year = "2013",

doi = "10.1149/04523.0033ecst",

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volume = "45",

pages = "33--45",

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T1 - Fuel cell performance using a phosphonated polysulphone ionomer (PSUgPVPA) in the PEM cathode electrode

AU - Wreland Lindström, Rakel

AU - Guerrero Aguinaga, Luis

AU - Oyarce, Alejandro

AU - Ubeda, Diego

AU - Ingratta, Mark

AU - Jannasch, Patric

AU - Lindbergh, Göran

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - Inexpensive and environmentally friendly electrolyte polymers that can be operated at higher temperatures and drier conditions are highly interesting for PEM fuel cells for automotive, portable power and stationary electricity generation applications. In this study an ionomer based on polysulfone grafted with poly(vinylphosphonic acid) (PSUgPVPA) in the cathode Pt/C catalyst layer (CL) was electrochemically characterized and compared to Nafion. The performance at different levels of humidity at 80 ºC was evaluated by polarization and cyclic voltammetry. The results show that the performance of the PSUgPVPA-based cathode CL is comparable to that of Nafion at 100% relative humidity (RH) but with some instabilities. However, at drier conditions significant losses of performance for the PSUgPVPA-based cathode was observed, concomitant to a reduced electrochemical surface area. The lower performance at low humidity is concluded to be due to a combination of lower proton conductivity and wettability or interference with oxygen reduction reaction at lower RH.

AB - Inexpensive and environmentally friendly electrolyte polymers that can be operated at higher temperatures and drier conditions are highly interesting for PEM fuel cells for automotive, portable power and stationary electricity generation applications. In this study an ionomer based on polysulfone grafted with poly(vinylphosphonic acid) (PSUgPVPA) in the cathode Pt/C catalyst layer (CL) was electrochemically characterized and compared to Nafion. The performance at different levels of humidity at 80 ºC was evaluated by polarization and cyclic voltammetry. The results show that the performance of the PSUgPVPA-based cathode CL is comparable to that of Nafion at 100% relative humidity (RH) but with some instabilities. However, at drier conditions significant losses of performance for the PSUgPVPA-based cathode was observed, concomitant to a reduced electrochemical surface area. The lower performance at low humidity is concluded to be due to a combination of lower proton conductivity and wettability or interference with oxygen reduction reaction at lower RH.

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IS - 23

ER -

Fuel cell performance using a phosphonated polysulphone ionomer (PSUgPVPA) in the PEM cathode electrode

Abstract

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