Alkaline anion exchange membrane

An alkaline anion exchange membrane (AAEM) is a semipermeable membrane generally made from ionomers and designed to conduct anions while being impermeable to gases such as oxygen or hydrogen. This is their essential function when incorporated into a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC)[1] or direct-ethanol fuel cell (DEFC): separation of reactants and transport of anions.

Advantages

The advantage of the alkali anion exchange membrane in the fuel cell is the potential to use non-noble metals such as iron, cobalt or nickel[2] due to the low overpotentials associated with electrochemical reactions at high pH.[3] In comparison, against alkaline fuel cell, alkali anion exchange membrane fuel cells also protect the electrode from solid carbonate precipitation, which can cause fuel (oxygen/hydrogen) transport problem during start-up.

See also

References


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