On-Board Hydrogen Powered Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Abstract

A novel approach will be presented here for the fast, safe and stable hydrogen generation for fuel cells. This was achieved by circulating the acid and the chemical hydride solutions which were separated by the disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymer membrane. Since the rate of proton transfer is a function of ion exchange capacity (IEC) and scales with the degree of disulfonation of membranes, tailoring the IEC of membranes is crucial during the hydrogen generation. Additionally, it was found that the type of acid and acid concentration influenced the hydrogen generation rates. The highest hydrogen generation rate was measured as 406 mL min-1 when sulfuric acid with the possible commercial available concentration of 18 M was used. At last but not least, proton exchange membrane fuel cell has been powered with the hydrogen generator developed in this study and has demonstrated continuous hydrogen generation more than 400 h.