Membrane Science and Technology

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Radical scavengers for synergistic enhancement of proton exchange membrane durability and fuel cell performance

Authors： YANG Dawei1,2, HAN Minfang1, GAO Qixiu2, ZHOU Shouyong3

Units： 1. State Key Laboratory of Power System Operation and Control, Department of Energy and Power
Engineering, Tsinghua University， Beijing 100084,China; 2. Suzhou Thinkre New Materlal Co., Ltd.,
Suzhou 215200,China; 3. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering,
Huaiyin Normal University， Huaian 223300, China

KeyWords： fuel cell; proton exchange membrane; radical scavengers; durability; industrial grade

ClassificationCode：TM911.4; TB383.2

year,volume(issue):pagination： 2026, 46(3):100-108

Abstract：

The durability of proton exchange membranes (PEMs) for fuel cells is typically enhanced by incorporating radical scavengers that mitigate oxidative degradation caused by highly reactive free radicals. However, this strategy often compromises the electrical properties of the membrane. This study aims to determine the optimal loading of radical scavengers in industrial-grade PEMs to achieve a balanced trade-off between chemical durability and electrochemical performance. Cerium carbonate, employed as a radical quencher, was directly added to a perfluorosulfonic acid resin solution at concentrations ranging from 0 to 0.6%. Following dispersion and mixing, the solution was used to impregnate an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) microporous membrane and subsequently laminated to fabricate composite membranes with a uniform thickness of 12 μm. The resulting membranes were systematically characterized in terms of fundamental physicochemical properties, fuel cell performance, and durability under accelerated open-circuit voltage (OCV) conditions. Results demonstrated that while higher quencher loadings led to a progressive decline in electrochemical performance, their impact on the membrane’s fundamental properties remained minimal. At a cerium carbonate content of 0.3%, the composite membrane exhibited a favorable combination of high fuel cell performance and an extended accelerated OCV durability of 1 150 hours, representing an optimal balance between durability and electrical output. The direct incorporation of the radical quencher into the resin solution via mechanical mixing offered a simple, scalable, and precisely controllable approach for membrane fabrication. This method thus provides a viable formulation strategy for the industrial production of proton exchange membranes that achieve both long operational lifetime and high performance.

Funds：

2024年度江苏省制造强省建设专项资金项目(“1650”产业体系协同攻关类)

AuthorIntro：

第一作者简介：杨大伟（1984-），男，江苏淮安人，主要研究方向为能源与动力. *通讯作者，E-mail:hanminfang@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

Reference：

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