Fuel Cell Membrane Advance

Ever since the Gemeni Program Teflon has been the material of choice for the membrane in Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. PolyFuel has a better idea. A hydrocarbon membrane. This new membrane material is compatible with current assembly processes (heat sealing) used with the Teflon membranes. Here is what PolyFuel has to say about their new membrane material:

Perfluorinated membranes based upon the Teflon® polymer were first developed for the Gemini space program in the 1960’s. Notwithstanding their success in that program, and in spite of over 40 years of additional experimentation with perfluorinated membranes, practical levels of fuel-cell performance have never been attained. Many knowledgeable observers believe that perfluorinated membranes will never be commercially viable for widespread, consumer use. Although these membranes worked in outer space, many believe that they will ultimately be unsuccessful — in our laptops, cell phones, and automobiles — here on earth.

Creating alternative membranes is an extremely challenging process, and in the ensuing decades, such efforts have met with little success. Recently, however, PolyFuel has developed a unique capability to directly engineer the nano-architectures and the chemical characteristics of a membrane based upon system-level requirements that has not only led to the rapid development of scores of new membranes — but ones which have exhibited breakthroughs in performance. Such “engineered membranes” are the future of fuel cells.

PolyFuel’s membranes — based upon hydrocarbon polymers, rather than perfluorinated, are considered to be best-in-class for both portable direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) — designed for portable electronic devices such as laptops, PDAs or cell phones — and for hydrogen fuel cells — designed to power automotive vehicles.

Interesting. But that is not all. This represents a nanotechnology advance as well.