Environmental concerns about carbon emissions are motivating development of Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEM-FC) technology for automotive propulsion. Catalyst Coated Membranes (CCM), which are the electrochemical „heart‟ of PEM-FC, consist of a proton-conductive polymer membrane embedded between two porous, electron conductive electrodes. The catalyst in the cathode consists of Pt nanop...

The structure of Nafion, the polymer electrolyte membrane used in some fuel cells, has been extensively debated over recent decades. Now, a newly proposed model reveals the nanoscale arrangement that could explain the excellent transport properties of the material. Transport is a major source of pollution in cities. As a result, the development of cars and buses which generate low or negligible...

Owing to their high efficiency and energy density, miniaturized fuel cells are an attractive alternative to batteries in the mW-W power generation market for portable consumer and military electronic devices [cf. 1-3]. Hydrogen is being actively considered as a fuel for power generation. It can be supplied either by storage devices or its in-situ generation using reformers. However, safety and ...

Nonfluorinated sulfonic acid membranes are a group of promising candidate materials for the commercialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cell PEMFC technology. However, one of the main obstacles is that the harsh fuel cell environment may originate different modes of degradation and aging processes that result in either chemical or morphological alteration in these membranes. The effect o...