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Synergistically integrated phosphonated poly(pentafluorostyrene) for fuel cells

Journal Article · · Nature Materials
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [3]
  1. Univ. of Stuttgart (Germany)
  2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Korea Inst. of Science and Technology, Seoul (South Korea)
  3. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  4. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  5. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Micro-Engineered Materials (CMEM); Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  6. Univ. of Stuttgart (Germany); North-West Univ., Potchefstroom (South Africa); Helmholtz Inst. for Renewable Energies, Erlangen (Germany)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Modern electrochemical energy conversion devices require more advanced proton conductors for their broad applications. Phosphonated polymers have been proposed as anhydrous proton conductors for fuel cells. However, the anhydride formation of phosphonic acid functional groups lowers proton conductivity and this prevents the use of phosphonated polymers in fuel cell applications. Here, we report a poly(2,3,5,6-tetrafluorostyrene-4-phosphonic acid) that does not undergo anhydride formation and thus maintains protonic conductivity above 200 °C. We use the phosphonated polymer in fuel cell electrodes with an ion-pair coordinated membrane in a membrane electrode assembly. We find that this synergistically integrated fuel cell reached peak power densities of 1,130 mW cm-2 at 160 °C and 1,740 mW cm-2 at 240 °C under H2/O2 conditions, substantially outperforming polybenzimidazole- and metal phosphate-based fuel cells. Our result indicates a pathway towards using phosphonated polymers in high-performance fuel cells under hot and dry operating conditions.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Technology Development
Grant/Contract Number:
89233218CNA000001; AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
1765758
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1774439
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--20-22783; SAND--2020-9155J; 690300
Journal Information:
Nature Materials, Journal Name: Nature Materials Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 20; ISSN 1476-1122
Publisher:
Springer Nature - Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
Fuel cells
materials for devices
materials for energy and catalysis