Macromolecular antioxidants for chemically durable polymer electrolyte fuel cell membranes
Abdul Kodir, Sunghee Shin, Ho Seok Park, Mutya Rahmah Arbi, Tae‐Hyun Yang, Hyejin Lee, Dongwon Shin, Byungchan Bae
Abstract
We investigated macromolecular antioxidants to improve the stabilities of polymer electrolyte membranes during fuel cell operation. Fenton's oxidative test was conducted to screen the scavenging activities of five different antioxidants, and Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy and fluoride emission, conductivity, and tensile strength analyses were employed to monitor their effects on membrane degradation. The proton conductivities and water absorption of the composite membranes were comparable to those of the pristine membrane, which may overcome issues with metal antioxidants. Moreover, open-circuit voltage (OCV) studies confirmed their positive effects during fuel operation. The OCV study showed that the membrane containing macromolecular antioxidants maintained a higher OCV than the pristine Nafion membrane, as verified by in situ analysis. Therefore, macromolecular antioxidants are useful for increasing the chemical durabilities of fuel cell membranes.