Recycling of perfluorosulfonic acid-based membranes and their Re-application in PEM fuel cells

Title data

Kutter, Maximilian ; Greve, Christopher ; Maier, Maximilian ; Schilling, Monja ; Mauel, Anika ; Hilgert, Annika ; Hoffmann, Hendrik ; Hagemeier, Wiebke ; Rosin, Andreas ; Muggli, Mark ; Zeis, Roswitha ; Senker, Jürgen ; Böhm, Thomas ; Herzig, Eva M. ; Gerdes, Thorsten ; Roth, Christina:
Recycling of perfluorosulfonic acid-based membranes and their Re-application in PEM fuel cells.
In: Journal of Membrane Science. Vol. 693 (2024) . - 122370.
ISSN 0376-7388
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2023.122370

Official URL:

Abstract in another language

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are lagging in commercialization due to the high cost of noble metal catalysts (e.g., Pt) and perfluorosulfonic acid-based (PFSA) membranes. Recycling and reusing these components at the end of life (EoL) could increase the viability and decrease the environmental impact of PEMFCs. In this work, we demonstrate an environmentally friendly method for reprocessing PFSA membranes based on a hydrothermal treatment using only water as a reactant, which is essential for upscaling to an industrial application. In addition, we focused on the recycling process itself and the membrane's recovery as a water-based dispersion, but also investigated the structural, chemical, and mechanical properties and the electrochemical performance of the membranes after being re-cast from the water-based dispersion (denoted as reprocessed membranes). We investigated two different ionomers, a short-side chain (SSC) ionomer with an equivalent weight of 800 (3M-800EW) and a long-side chain (LSC) ionomer with an equivalent weight of 1000 (3M-1000EW), both obtained from 3 M. Both membrane types could be dispersed in water and reprocessed by hydrothermal treatment. No changes in the chemical structure of the ionomers were observed by subsequent IR, Raman, and NMR spectroscopy. However, thermal and mechanical analyses of the reprocessed membranes showed a deterioration of their mechanical properties. The hydrothermal step increased both the water uptake and retention behavior. We attribute this to the expansion of the water channels observed in the SAXS analysis. Full cell tests under standard (80 °C) and harsher (120 °C & 130 °C) operation conditions demonstrated electrochemical performance for the reprocessed 800EW membranes.

Further data

Item Type:	Article in a journal
Refereed:	Yes
Keywords:	PFSA recycling; PFSA reprocessing; PEM fuel cells; Water retention; SAXS study; In-situ Raman; Solid-state NMR spectroscopy
Institutions of the University:	Faculties > Faculty of Mathematics, Physics und Computer Science > Department of Physics Faculties > Faculty of Mathematics, Physics und Computer Science > Department of Physics > Juniorprofessor Experimental Physics VII - Dynamics and Structure Formation Faculties > Faculty of Mathematics, Physics und Computer Science > Department of Physics > Juniorprofessor Experimental Physics VII - Dynamics and Structure Formation > Juniorprofessor Experimental Physics VII - Dynamics and Structure Formation - Juniorprof. Dr. Eva M. Herzig
Result of work at the UBT:	Yes
DDC Subjects:	500 Science > 530 Physics
Date Deposited:	09 Jan 2024 06:33
Last Modified:	09 Jan 2024 07:50
URI:	https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/88167