Fabrication and testing of a Bi-conductive polymer membrane fuel cell

Abstract

This paper reports the fabrication process and testing of a bi-conductive polymer membrane (BCPM) fuel cell that integrates lateral current collectors on both sides with an ionic conductive path through the membrane. The new membrane shows major advantages over standard Nafion® membranes used in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (PEMFCs). In addition to being mechanically stable when wet, the flexible BCPM integrates efficient thin film current collectors (ICCs) on an ionic conductive membrane with a high active area ratio. Also, ICCs leave all the surface of the electrode free to eventually integrate a more efficient water and gas management system than traditional gas diffusion layers. Moreover, the fabricated membrane has shown superior volumetric power density than standard PEMFC (0.76 vs 0.47 mW/cm2μm).