Ian Wark Research Institute
ARC Special Research Centre
ARC Special Research Centre
Research Area: Chemical engineering, chemistry or engineering students with an interest in materials science
Supervisor:
Prof Namita Roy Choudhury
Description: The fuel cell represents a fundamentally promising
but different way of generating electrical power from a variety of
fuels, which converts the chemical energy of a fuel and oxidant directly
into electrical power. The key features of a fuel cell are its
high-energy conversion efficiency, cleanliness and fuel flexibility. The
polymeric proton exchange membrane (PEM) is one of the key components in
solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). PEM fuel cells offer high
power density, possess no corrosive liquids, are relatively simple, and
operate at relatively low operating temperatures (50ēC - 95ēC) and
pressure (<5 atm). In a typical PEM fuel cell, a polymeric membrane
provides the ionic path between the anode and the cathode of the
galvanic cell and serves to separate the two-reactant gases. A profound
drawback of current PEM, common to all aqueous-based proton exchange
membranes, in general, is their inability to operate at temperatures
higher than 100ēC, or under lower humidity, for extended periods.
This project will address the critical issue of operating proton
exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) at above 100ēC - a temperature
desirable for several technical reasons, but destructive to current PEM
and catalyst components. The project aims to develop and characterise
composite polymeric membranes for high temperature fuel cell membranes.
Such composite membranes utilise an inert, mechanically stable porous
polymeric membrane matrix and a proton conducting component which could
be an ionic liquid, ionomer or functional inorganic nanoparticle, or a
combination of those materials.
Electrospinning will be used to create highly porous membranes
consisting of polymer nanofibers. Such membranes will possess very high
porosity and excellent inter-connectivity, making them ideally suited as
a matrix for highly proton conducting materials required for fuel cell
applications. The project also involves characterisation of the
membranes, using techniques such as electrochemical and thermal analysis
in order to assess its suitability for use in high temperature fuel
cells. The project will thus examine the novel materials proton
conductivity, electrochemical property under different temperature and
humidity to draw a structure-property-performance relationship.
