In the past, scientists have been looking for a polymer fuel cell solution suitable for temperatures above 100°C, so that batteries can maintain high performance in hot and dry conditions without spending a lot of effort on maintaining cooling systems. Now American scientists have developed polymer fuel cells that operate at temperatures between 80 and 160°C and can be installed in trucks and buses.

Fuel cells primarily convert chemical energy in fuel into electrical energy. The most common fuel is hydrogen. Hydrogen fuel cells can be used in automobiles, aviation, and railway systems. However, there are many different fuels in fuel cells. Their commonality being less environmental pollution generated compared to batteries and fossil fuels and this has attracted much attention in recent years.

However, if current fuel cells are to operate at ambient temperatures of 80~160°C, it is necessary to add equipment such as a large radiator and an air inlet to maintain cooling. Therefore, scientists believe that it is better to start developing fuel cells with an application range of 100°C or more, enabling simplified fuel cell systems through better thermal and water management.

Now the U.S. Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The operating temperature of traditional polymer electrolyte fuel cells falls between 80 and 100 °C and they primarily use phosphoric acid as an electrolyte. However, the research team replaced phosphoric acid with phosphonated polymers and perfluorosulfonic acids, achieving an operational temperature range of up to 80 °C. ~160℃.

This new polymer comes from phosphonated polymer and perfluorosulfonic acid. The research team found that a proton in perfluorosulfonic acid will be transferred to the phosphonated polymer which significantly improves proton conductivity. The rated power density of the fuel cell is as high as 800 mW/cm2 at 160 °C, 60% higher than phosphoric acid-based fuel cells.

The research team is optimistic regarding the development of fuel cells in the future. The team believes that, like other electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles are also zero-emission future vehicles that will not emit any carbon dioxide or suspended particulates, said Yu Seung Kim, research scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s materials synthesis and integrated devices group. Countries can also produce their own hydrogen, with zero greenhouse gas emission potential.

（Image：Flickr/Paul Burroughs CC BY-SA 2.0）