Abstracto

Fabrication and Electrical Characterization of PEM Fuel Cell based on (PEO+KHCO3 ) Polymer Electrolyte Membrane

Dr. K. Vijaya Kumar, Dr. G. Sunita Sundari & N. Krishna Jyothi

An attempt has been made in the present work to develop a new Polyethylene oxide (PEO) based Solid polymer electrolyte membrane, (PEO+KHCO3) by Isothermal immersion- technique. Several experimental techniques such as IR, composition dependence conductivity, temperature dependence conductivity in the temperature range of 308- 368K and transport number measurements were employed to characterize this polymer electrolyte membrane system. The IR studies confirm the salvation of K+ ion with PEO. The conductivity of the (PEO+KHCO3) electrolyte was found to be about 3 times larger than that of pure PEO at room temperature. The transference data indicated that the charge transport in these polymer electrolyte systems is predominantly due to ions. Using this conducting polymer electrolyte membrane, a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) Fuel cell stack was fabricated with the configuration anode/polymer electrolyte/cathode and studied its I-V Characteristics. The results of these investigations are reported in this present paper.