Abstract
The oxidative stability of membranes constructed from a composite of pristine sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) and cerium was investigated by conducting an accelerated oxidative-stability test at the open-circuit voltage (OCV). The membranes were analyzed in situ through OCV and impedance measurements, cyclic voltammetry, and linear-sweep voltammetry to monitor the electrochemical properties during the stability test. Although the high-frequency resistance of a composite membrane was slightly higher than that of a pristine membrane because of the exchange of protons from the sulfonic acid with cerium ions, the composite membrane maintained its potential for much longer than the pristine membrane. The effect of the cerium ions as radical scavengers was confirmed by analyzing the drain water and chemical structure after operation. These post-operation analyses confirmed that cerium ions improved the oxidative stability of the hydrocarbon-based polymer during fuel-cell operation. It is clear that the cerium-based radical scavengers prevented chemical degradation of the polymer membrane as well as the electrode in terms of hydrogen cross-over, polymer-chain scission, and the electrochemical surface area, while they rarely diffused outward from the membrane.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 468-474 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Power Sources |
| Volume | 378 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2018 Feb 28 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by the framework of the Research and Development Program of the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) ( B7-2422 ) and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) Grant ( 10067135 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier B.V.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Energy Engineering and Power Technology
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
