Effect of CO2 on the properties of anion exchange membranes for fuel cell applications

In this study the effect of CO2, HCO3‾ and CO32‾ on the ionic conductivity and water uptake properties of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) was investigated in order to better understand the detrimental effect of ambient air feed on the performance of AEM fuel cells. Three types of AEMs were examined, including Poly(hexamethyl-p-terphenyl benzimidazolium) (HMT-PMBI), Fumatech® FAA-3, and poly(phenylene oxide) functionalized with imidazole (PPO-Im). The effect of temperature and humidity on AEM properties in their different anion forms was studied, including both steady state and dynamic measurements. In addition, the response to changes in CO2 concentration and to application of ex-situ electric current was examined. Results showed that an increase in humidity leads to an increase in water content and an increase in conductivity of the AEMs, regardless the anion type. It was found that both temperature and relative humidity improve conductivity in carbonated forms, however relative humidity has the most significant impact. The carbonation process in 400 ppm CO2 is slightly quicker in AEMs with low conductivity, lasting ca. 40 min; however it was shown that a reverse process can be achieved by applying an electric current through the AEMs. An increase by 2–10 fold in conductivity is obtained using this method, which is analogous to the changes observed during operation of the fuel cell. This work provides important data that needs to be taken into account in future work in order to ultimately mitigate the carbonation effects and improve the performance of AEM fuel cells running with ambient air.