Water management and conductivity studies in novel polymer zirconium-based membranes for PEM fuel cells

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are among the promising alternatives for clean energy generation, especially when hydrogen is the fuel used. Their operation is still faced with several challenges, and one of them is water accumulation in the cathode compartment. If PEMFCs are operated at temperatures above the boiling point of water, a significant obstacle would be eliminated due to the formation of water in the vapor phase. This prevents water from accumulating in the liquid phase which causes flooding. Therefore, this work aims to develop a novel composite membrane based on zirconium silicate (ZrSiO₄) and Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) for such high-temperature operation. The composite membrane was synthesized using solution casting, and its structural and chemical properties were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The ZrSiO₄/PVDF membrane demonstrated a maximum proton conductivity of 2.14 × 10⁻³ S/cm at room temperature with 8 wt% ZrSiO₄, along with a water uptake value of 43.85 %. Consequently, when tested above the boiling point of water, the membrane exhibited a high conductivity of 2.13 × 10⁻³ S/cm at 105 °C. The results suggest the suitability of such zirconium silicate-based composite membranes for fuel cell applications operating above the boiling point of water.