Recent developments in proton exchange membranes for fuel cells

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) that operate at temperatures above 120 °C are needed to avoid catalyst poisoning, enhance electrochemical reactions, simplify the design and reduce the cost of fuel cells. This review summarizes developments in PEMs over the last five years. In order to design new membranes for elevated temperature operation, one must understand the chemistry, morphology and dynamics of protons and water molecules in existing membranes. The integration of experiment with modelling and simulation can shed light on the hierarchical structure of the membrane and dynamical processes associated with molecular transport. Based on such a fundamental understanding, membranes can be modified by controlling the polymer chemistry and architecture or adding inorganic fillers that can retain water under low relative humidity conditions. The development of anhydrous membranes based on phosphoric acid doped polymers, ionic liquid-infused polymer gels and solid acids can enable fuel cell operation above 150 °C. Considerable work remains to be done to identify proton transport mechanisms in novel membranes and evaluate membrane durability under real world operating conditions.