Novel concepts for hydrogen-bromine batteries. Final report on Phase 1

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6627538

Jalan, V

Researchers investigated improvement of the hydrogen/bromine battery as a rechargeable power supply. The present fuel cell-electrolyzer system uses 48% HBr with Nafion as a solid polymer electrolyte membrane. The characteristics of this Nafion-based system are a constantly changing Nernst potential associated with changing HBr concentrations, and the need for a very large amount of water which is essentially inert for power application. To overcome these disadvantages, anion selective membranes were employed. Two specific problems were addressed: identification of a stable bromide ion conducting membrane and the stability of the catalyst system. Preliminary results show that fluoropolymer-based membranes are not attacked by either pure bromine or an aqueous solution of bromine during one-day and eight-week exposures, and are impervious to gaseous hydrogen and bromine vapors at 60 C. A cell with carbon black at the bromine electrode and a platinum-based catalyst at the hydrogen electrode gives an excellent open circuit potential. Ability to operate on anhydrous, gaseous, and liquid bromine with a relatively low membrane resistance was observed in short time tests. However, very small current densities can be drawn using the selected membrane electrode combinations. The stability of the membrane and catalyst systems was investigated and critical requirements in membrane and catalyst research were identified.

• Research Organization: ElectroChem, Inc., Woburn, MA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 6627538
• Report Number(s): PB-93-175461/XAB; C-8803; CNN: NSF-ISI8861417
• Resource Relation: Other Information: See also N85-15836
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
BROMINE
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
HYDROGEN
CARBON BLACK
ELECTROCHEMISTRY
ELECTRODES
HYDROBROMIC ACID
MEMBRANES
NERNST EFFECT
PLATINUM
POWER GENERATION
REGULATIONS
STABILITY
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
VAPORS
WATER
BROMINE COMPOUNDS
CARBON
CHEMISTRY
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HALOGENS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
METALS
NONMETALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLATINUM METALS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
250901* - Energy Storage- Batteries- Design & Development
250902 - Energy Storage- Batteries- Performance & Testing
250903 - Energy Storage- Batteries- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries