The ability of anion exchange membrane (AEM) fuel cells to provide inexpensive compact power from a wider variety of fuels than is possible with a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell has continued to drive research interest in this area.  Alkaline catalysis in fuel cells has been demonstrated with non-precious metal catalysts, and with a variety of fuels beyond hydrogen and methanol.  Alkaline fuel cells (AFCs) based on aqueous solutions of KOH, have serious drawbacks associated with system complexity and carbonate formation. Anion exchange membrane (AEMs) fuel cells have a number of advantages over both PEM fuel cells and traditional AFCs.   However, ionic conductivity in AEMs is still lower than ionic conductivity in PEMs, and the chemical stability of polymeric membrane with attached cations in hydroxide solutions is still not sufficient for practical applications.  A critical  research goal is to synthesize new polymeric AEM with excellent anion transport properties, durability in harsh chemical environments that can also be fabricated into a thin robust film suitable for fuel cell applications.

Polymer membranes: Designing next generation separators and transport mediators for energy generating devices

256th National Meeting (2018)

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