RESEARCH ARTICLE
Development and performance analysis of polybenzimidazole/boron nitride composite membranes for high-temperature PEM fuel cells
Dedar Emad Hussin,
Yağmur Budak,
Yılser Devrim,
Dedar Emad Hussin
Faculty of Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Atilim University, Ankara, Turkey
Search for more papers by this authorYağmur Budak
Faculty of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Atilim University, Ankara, Turkey
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Yılser Devrim
Faculty of Engineering, Energy Systems Engineering, Atilim University, Ankara, Turkey
Correspondence
Yılser Devrim, Faculty of Engineering, Energy Systems Engineering, Atilim University, 0686 Ankara, Turkey.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorDedar Emad Hussin,
Yağmur Budak,
Yılser Devrim,
Dedar Emad Hussin
Faculty of Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Atilim University, Ankara, Turkey
Search for more papers by this authorYağmur Budak
Faculty of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Atilim University, Ankara, Turkey
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Yılser Devrim
Faculty of Engineering, Energy Systems Engineering, Atilim University, Ankara, Turkey
Correspondence
Yılser Devrim, Faculty of Engineering, Energy Systems Engineering, Atilim University, 0686 Ankara, Turkey.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorSummary
In this research, polybenzimidazole/boron nitride (PBI/BN) based composite membranes have been prepared for high-temperature PEM fuel cell (HT-PEMFC). BN was preferred because of its superior thermal robustness, high chemical stability, non-conductor property, and high plasticizer characteristic. The loading of BN in the composite membrane was studied between 2.5 to 10 wt%. The composite membranes were characterized using TGA, DSC, XRD, SEM, mechanical tests, acid doping/leaching, and proton conductivity measurements. The highest conductivity of 0.260 S/cm was found for PBI/BN-2.5 membrane at 180°C. It has been determined that the PBI/BN-2.5 membrane has higher performance than the PBI membrane according to the HT-PEMFC tests performed with Hydrogen and dry air. The heightened HT-PEMFC performance can be ascribed to interactive effects between BN particles and the PBI polymer matrix. PBI/BN composite membranes show a good perspective in the high-temperature PEMFC applications.
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