Browsing by Author "Hussin, Dedar Emad"
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thesis.listelement.badge INFLUENCE OF BORON NITRIDE ADDITION ON THE PERFORMANCE OF HIGH TEMPERATURE PEM FUEL CELL BASED ON POLYBENZIMIDAZOLE MEMBRANE(2022-01-14) Hussin, Dedar Emad; Devrim, YılserWith the growth of the world population in the last decades, the energy demand has also increased due to technological developments and requirements. In this context, Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has been gaining attention as an alternative to produce renewable energy lately thanks to its high efficiency, low pollution, high power density, and quiet operation. However, there must exist a high level of CO tolerance to be able to commercialize this alternative along with the use of reformed gasses produced from short processes, namely natural gas and methane – in abundant use today. High-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC) allows for smooth water management and increased carbon monoxide (CO) tolerance to over 100 ℃ of operating temperature. Against this backdrop, the present thesis is an attempt to design novel Polybenzimidazole/Boron Nitride (PBI/BN) composite membranes for HT-PEMFC application. BN was preferred due to its acceptable thermal stability, low electrical conductivity and high plasticizer property. This filler is used as 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 wt. %. The composite membranes are tested using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), mechanical analyses, acid doping/leaching, and proton conductivity measurements. Accordingly, thermal gravimetric analysis confirm the thermal stability of the PBI composite membranes; whereas acid leaching proves that adding more inorganic BN particles reduces acid loss from the membrane signifi- cantly. Proton conductivity measurements show that introducing BN in the polymer matrix increases such conductivity, up to 0.260 S/cm at 180oC for PBI/BN-2.5 The HT-PEMFC performance test for PBI-BN-2.5 membrane is carried out in comparison with the PBI membrane, with results revealing that the former achieves higher performance with a current density of 136 mA/cm 2 at 0.6 V and 132 mW/cm 2 maximum power density at 165 oC. The high performance of this MEA can be attributed to elevated proton conductivity and the enhanced properties of the PBI-BN 2.5 membrane. Overall, the findings in the present thesis show the usability of PBI/BN composite membranes in HT-PEMFCs, and their applicability for commercial fuel cell production upon further improvements.