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Protonated phosphonic acid electrodes for high power heavy-duty vehicle fuel cells

Journal Article · · Nature Energy
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [9];  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul (Korea, Republic of)
  3. Univ. of Stuttgart (Germany)
  4. Univ. of Stuttgart (Germany); North-West Univ., Potchefstroom (South Africa); Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Erlangen (Germany)
  5. Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul (Korea, Republic of)
  6. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  7. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  8. Univ. of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (United States)
  9. Toyota Research Institute of North America, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
We report that state-of-the-art automotive fuel cells that operate at about 80 °C require large radiators and air intakes to avoid overheating. High-temperature fuel cells that operate above 100 °C under anhydrous conditions provide an ideal solution for heat rejection in heavy-duty vehicle applications. Here we report protonated phosphonic acid electrodes that remarkably improve the performance of high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The protonated phosphonic acids comprise tetrafluorostyrene-phosphonic acid and perfluorosulfonic acid polymers, where a perfluorosulfonic acid proton is transferred to the phosphonic acid to enhance the anhydrous proton conduction of fuel cell electrodes. By using this material in fuel cell electrodes, we obtained a fuel cell exhibiting a rated power density of 780 mW cm-2 at 160 °C, with minimal degradation during 2,500 h of operation and 700 thermal cycles from 40 to 160 °C under load.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Research Foundation of Korea; UNM Center for Advanced Research Computing; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Fuel Cell Technologies Office
Grant/Contract Number:
89233218CNA000001; AC02-05CH11231; AR0001003; NA0003523
OSTI ID:
1866944
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-19-29832
Journal Information:
Nature Energy, Journal Name: Nature Energy Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 7; ISSN 2058-7546
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
electrochemistry
fuel cells
polymers