New Nanostructured Polymeric Membrane for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

73076S03-IFuel cells utilizing cheap fuels such as alcohols, or especially methanol, are currently being aggressively developed as alternative energy sources. The membrane that is currently used in such fuel cells (i.e., Nafion) allows the alcohol to permeate through to the air side of the fuel cell. This drastically reduces the efficiency of the fuel cell and limits the concentration of methanol that could be used. It would be desirable to use a higher concentration of methanol while significantly reducing the crossover. This proposal will develop a new membrane product with nano-size features and superb organization in its structure. In a preliminary development, the membrane showed the same order of proton conductivity as the currently used membrane, and an ability to block methanol also was exhibited. Phase I will explore this new composition and its properties in detail, fabricate the membrane, test it in an actual fuel cell with 6M methanol, and compare it to the current membrane. Compositional variables will be examined, and a determination of methanol diffusivity, fuel cell performance, and fuel efficiency data will be made. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by awardee: The novel membranes should find immediate application in methanol fuel cells, microfuel cells etc. The possibility of using the membranes in biofuel cells also exists. Thus, the market for the membrane is projected to be several million dollars in the U.S. alone.