NDLI: Effects of the Chemical Treatment on the Physical-Chemical and Electrochemical Properties of the Commercial Nafion™ NR212 Membrane

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Effects of the Chemical Treatment on the Physical-Chemical and Electrochemical Properties of the Commercial Nafion™ NR212 Membrane

Content Provider	MDPI
Author	Ada, Saccà Passalacqua, Enza Pedicini, Rolando Carbone, Alessandra Gatto, Irene Matera, Fabio Patti, Assunta
Copyright Year	2020
Description	Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (PEFCs) are one of the most promising power generation systems. The main component of a PEFC is the proton exchange membrane (PEM), object of intense research to improve the efficiency of the cell. The most commonly and commercially successful used PEMs are Nafion™ perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes, taken as a reference for the development of innovative and alternative membranes. Usually, these membranes undergo different pre-treatments to enhance their characteristics. With the aim of understanding the utility and the effects of such pre-treatments, in this study, a commercial Nafion™ NR212 membrane was subjected to two different chemical pre-treatments, before usage. HNO3 or H2O2 were selected as chemical agents because the most widely used ones in the procedure protocols in order to prepare the membrane in a well-defined reference state. The pre-treated membranes properties were compared to an untreated membrane, used as-received. The investigation has showed that the pre-treatments enhance the hydrophilicity and increase the water molecules coordinated to the sulphonic groups in the membrane structure, on the other hand the swelling of the membranes also increases. As a consequence, the untreated membrane shows a better mechanical resistance, a good electrochemical performance and durability in fuel cell operations, orienting toward the use of the NR212 membrane without any chemical pre-treatment.
Starting Page	5254
e-ISSN	19961944
DOI	10.3390/ma13225254
Journal	Materials
Issue Number	22
Volume Number	13
Language	English
Publisher	MDPI
Publisher Date	2020-11-20
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Materials Chemical Treatments Membrane Degradation Nafion™ Nr212 Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells Polymer Exchange Membranes Water Uptake
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article

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