Self-Humidifying Fuel Cell

About

Invention The invention is related to self-humidifying fuel cell membrane using novel composite materials confined in porous substrate. The novel membrane can regulate water generated by the fuel cell reaction, and can limit the shrinkage of the material caused by temperature changes. This results in improved thermal stability and the ability to operate at higher temperature without external humidification.   Marketing Opportunity Polymer electrolyte membranes are commonly used in fuel cell due to its high proton conductivity and excellent long-term stability under fully hydrated condition. However, the polymer loses its mechanical and dimensional stability at high temperature due to low glass transition temperature, which restricts the operation temperature of fuel cell. The proton conductivity of polymer also suffers a sharp drop under low membrane hydration, resulting in poor performance. Therefore, external humidification equipment is often necessary, which complicates the system design and operation, and lowers the overall energy efficiency. The application of the self-humidifying electrolyte membrane can lead to simpler fuel cell system design with high performance and extended operation time.   Key Benefits Self-humidifying High proton conductivity & long-term stability Feasibility on high temperature operation