LAPSE:2023.20327
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.20327
The Effect of Salty Environments on the Degradation Behavior and Mechanical Properties of Nafion Membranes
Dharmjeet Madhav, Changyuan Shao, Jorben Mus, Frank Buysschaert, Veerle Vandeginste
March 17, 2023
The application of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) in maritime transportation is currently in the spotlight due to stringent emissions regulations and the establishment of a carbon trading system. However, salt in the marine environment can accelerate the degradation of proton-exchange membranes (PEM), which are the core component of PEMFCs. In this study, the effect of the NaCl concentration and temperature on the degradation of Nafion, the benchmark PEMFC membrane, was analyzed ex situ by accelerated degradation using Fenton’s test. The membrane properties were studied by mass change, fluoride ion emission, FTIR spectroscopy, and tensile test. The results showed that the degradation of Nafion membranes increased with the increase in temperature and NaCl concentration. Further studies revealed that Nafion produces C=O bonds during the degradation process. Additionally, it was found that sodium ions replace hydrogen ions in degraded Nafion fragments based on analysis of the weight change, and the rate of substitution increases with increasing temperature. A better understanding of the degradation behavior of Nafion in salty environments will lead to the advanced manufacturing of PEM for applications of PEMFCs in maritime transportation.
Keywords
degradation, Fenton’s test, Fuel Cells, marine environment, maritime transportation, NaCl concentration, Nafion, PEMFC, temperature
Suggested Citation
Madhav D, Shao C, Mus J, Buysschaert F, Vandeginste V. The Effect of Salty Environments on the Degradation Behavior and Mechanical Properties of Nafion Membranes. (2023). LAPSE:2023.20327
Author Affiliations
Madhav D: KU Leuven—Bruges, Department of Materials Engineering, Surface and Interface Engineered Materials, 8200 Bruges, Belgium [ORCID]
Shao C: KU Leuven—Bruges, Department of Materials Engineering, Surface and Interface Engineered Materials, 8200 Bruges, Belgium
Mus J: KU Leuven—Bruges, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mechanics and Energy Conversion, 8200 Bruges, Belgium
Buysschaert F: KU Leuven—Bruges, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mechanics and Energy Conversion, 8200 Bruges, Belgium
Vandeginste V: KU Leuven—Bruges, Department of Materials Engineering, Surface and Interface Engineered Materials, 8200 Bruges, Belgium [ORCID]
Journal Name
Energies
Volume
16
Issue
5
First Page
2256
Year
2023
Publication Date
2023-02-26
Published Version
ISSN
1996-1073
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Original Submission
Other Meta
PII: en16052256, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2023.20327
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doi:10.3390/en16052256
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Mar 17, 2023
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CC BY 4.0
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