KES6-1067
Chemical stability enhancement of polymer electrolyte membranes for fuel cell
Topic
S6. Emerging Polymer and Hybrid Materials for Advanced Energy Storage and Conversion
When and Where
Sep 29, 2026
10:50 - 11:15
Room 311 & 312
Session Chairs
Jai Hyun KOH
Presenter(s)
Dukjoon kim (Sungkyunkwan University)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
In operation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) , OH radicals are the major cause for the degradation of polymer electrolyte membrane. In order to enhance its anti-oxidation stability, cerium ion (Ce3+, CE), an OH radical quencher, is introduced to membrane, as it converts the OH radicals into inactive chemicals. In this study, aminoethyl-15-crown-5 (CRE) is grafted on the polymer electrolyte backbones to prevent the migration of CE ions from the membrane for long term anti-oxidation stability, as CRE forms a coordination complex with CE. The chemical and physical structure of the CRE grafted SPAEK are examined using 1H NMR, EDX, and SAXS spectroscopy. The physical properties of the CRE grafted SPAEK membrane are investigated and compared with those of the CRE blended and CE blended ones. On the other hand, the lab-synthesized ceria (CeO2) nanoparticles were surface-modified to provide proton conductivity. These nanoparticles were embedded into the thin surface layers of polymer electrolyte membranes, resulting in the sandwiched structure. The structure, morphology and properties of the synthesized nanoparticles and membranes were analyzed using a variety of methods including TEM, FTIR, DLS, XRD, XPS, TGA, and SEM-EDS. The sulfonated CeO2 nanoparticles exhibited excellent OH• and OOH• radical scavenging effect for enhanced chemical stability, accompanied by a simultaneous improvement of proton conductivity of the membrane. Consequently, not only the durability but also the cell performance of the membrane was significantly enhanced, illustrating the maximum power density of 522 mW cm-2, which was much higher than those of the pristine and single-layer composite membranes, 460 mW cm-2 and 390 mW cm-2, respectively.
