TY - GEN
T1 - Nano-scale investigation of morphologies in polymer electrolyte/pvdf blend membranes
AU - Goldbach, James T.
AU - More, Karren L.
AU - Gaboury, Scott R.
AU - Foure, Michel
AU - Mountz, David A.
AU - Manheim, Amy L.
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - The morphologies of a series of novel polymer electrolyte/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) blend membranes were studied using TEM, both before and after incorporation of the membrane into a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and following electrochemical aging of the MEA in a fuel cell. Nanometer-scale changes to the polymer structure and changes in spatial distributions of fluorine, sulfur, and other elements were analyzed. The effect of microstructural and microchemical observations was correlated to a decline in fuel cell performance with time. The polyelectrolyte phase had some local mobility during the MEA preparation step, and the Kynar® PVDF did not prefer to lie at the electrode interface. The modulated structure of the membrane and the dispersed N-rich nodules did not change during testing. However, additional S-rich phase segregation occurred, which was also associated with the existing modulated structure. This indicated phase instability associated with the polyelectrolyte phase. This is an abstract of paper presented at the AIChE Spring National Meeting (Orlando, FL 4/24-26/2006).
AB - The morphologies of a series of novel polymer electrolyte/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) blend membranes were studied using TEM, both before and after incorporation of the membrane into a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and following electrochemical aging of the MEA in a fuel cell. Nanometer-scale changes to the polymer structure and changes in spatial distributions of fluorine, sulfur, and other elements were analyzed. The effect of microstructural and microchemical observations was correlated to a decline in fuel cell performance with time. The polyelectrolyte phase had some local mobility during the MEA preparation step, and the Kynar® PVDF did not prefer to lie at the electrode interface. The modulated structure of the membrane and the dispersed N-rich nodules did not change during testing. However, additional S-rich phase segregation occurred, which was also associated with the existing modulated structure. This indicated phase instability associated with the polyelectrolyte phase. This is an abstract of paper presented at the AIChE Spring National Meeting (Orlando, FL 4/24-26/2006).
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=56549117476&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:56549117476
SN - 0816910057
SN - 9780816910052
T3 - 2006 AIChE Spring Annual Meeting
BT - 2006 AIChE Spring Annual Meeting
T2 - 2006 AIChE Spring National Meeting
Y2 - 23 April 2006 through 27 April 2006
ER -
