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The Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) stands as the pivotal element in electrochemical devices such as fuel cells and electrochemical hydrogen pumps (EHP). Notably, ion-pair High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (HT-PEMFCs) with reduced phosphoric acid concentrations within the MEA have been innovatively designed, allowing for the integration of diverse ion-conducting binders, known as ionomers, into both the cathode and anode electrodes 1 . This study delineates initial distinctions in MEA configurations among different device types (HT-Fuel cell and EHP), conducting a comprehensive analysis of performance disparities between traditional polybenzimidazole-based systems and various ion-pair proton exchange membranes 2 . Subsequently, a detailed exploration unfolds, focusing on the utilization of ion-pair membranes and different ionomer types for the three aforementioned devices. This comprehensive examination offers a unified comparative analysis encompassing ionomer type, membrane thickness, catalyst:ionomer ratio, and phosphoric acid doping levels, particularly in the context of performance at intermediate temperatures (160℃). Conclusions are drawn based on results derived from both half-cell and single-cell evaluations. Finally, overarching guidelines are presented to inform the formulation of high-performance MEA configurations tailored for ion-pair HT-PEMFCs and EHPs. References: 1 Lim, K. H.; Lee, A. S.; Atanasov, V.; Kerres, J.; Park, E. J.; Adhikari, S.; Maurya, S.; Manriquez, L. D.; Jung, J.; Fujimoto, C.; Matanovic, I.; Jankovic, J.; Hu, Z.; Jia, H.; Kim, Y. S. Protonated phosphonic acid electrodes for high power heavy-duty vehicle fuel cells, Nature Energy , 7, 248 (2022). 2 Lim, K, H; Matanovic, I; Maurya, S; Kim Y; De Castro E. S; Jang, J-H; Park, H; Kim, Y.S. High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells with High Phosphoric Acid Retention. ACS Energy Lett. , 8, 1, 529–536 (2023).
Chhetri et al. (Fri,) studied this question.