Presentation: 2025 ND EPSCoR Annual conference
October 21, 2025, NDSU Memorial Union, Fargo, North Dakota
Development of High-performance Proton-exchange Membranes for Intermediate-temperature Hydrogen and Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells at 175oC
Abdul
Salam
Doctoral Student
North Dakota State University
Co-authors: Muhammad Muzamal Ashfaq (PhD Student), Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Dakota State University, Oksana Zholobko (Research Assistant Professor), Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Dakota State University, Xiang-Fa Wu (Professor), Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Dakota State University
Session
Poster number: 86
Ballroom
High-performance proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) with high proton conductivity, low gas crossover, as well as excellent structural integrity and electrochemical durability at elevated temperatures are crucial to low-cost electrochemical energy conversion and value-added chemical production in contemporary clean energy technologies (e.g., fuel cells, electrolyzers, etc.). In this study, high-performance intermediate-temperature (IT) PEMs were developed via modifying phosphoric-acid (H3PO4-PA) doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes with a small amount of surface-functionalized titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs). The electrochemical performance of the present IT-PEMs was assessed using a single-stack hydrogen/air fuel cell operated at 175°C. A high open-circuit voltage (OCV) of up to 0.94 V was measured, higher than that of the pristine PA-doped PBI membranes (~0.83 V), plus significantly improved maximum current density and peak power density of 1,047 mA.cm-2 and 295 mW.cm-2, respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements confirmed the high enhanced proton conductivity of 1.50 × 10-2 S.cm⁻¹. Morphological, structural, and thermal analyses using SEM, FTIR, and TGA demonstrated uniform NP dispersion, strong polymer-NP interaction, and improved thermal stability. In addition, preliminary test results and challenging issues of direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) installed with the present IT-PEMs were further addressed. The experimental results predict the high potential of the present PA-doped NP/PBI nanocomposite membranes as high-performance IT-PEMs for use in hydrogen fuel cells, DEFCs, and other IT electrochemical membrane reactors for low-cost, high-efficiency electrochemical energy conversion and value-added chemical production.