Development and performance analysis of polybenzimidazole/boron nitride composite membranes for high-temperature PEM fuel cells

Abstract

In this research, polybenzimidazole/boron nitride (PBI/BN) based composite membranes have been prepared for high-temperature PEM fuel cell (HT-PEMFC). BN was preferred because of its superior thermal robustness, high chemical stability, non-conductor property, and high plasticizer characteristic. The loading of BN in the composite membrane was studied between 2.5 to 10 wt%. The composite membranes were characterized using TGA, DSC, XRD, SEM, mechanical tests, acid doping/leaching, and proton conductivity measurements. The highest conductivity of 0.260 S/cm was found for PBI/BN-2.5 membrane at 180 degrees C. It has been determined that the PBI/BN-2.5 membrane has higher performance than the PBI membrane according to the HT-PEMFC tests performed with Hydrogen and dry air. The heightened HT-PEMFC performance can be ascribed to interactive effects between BN particles and the PBI polymer matrix. PBI/BN composite membranes show a good perspective in the high-temperature PEMFC applications.