Fullerene-Based Proton-Conductive Material for the Electrolyte Membrane and Electrode of a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

Abstract

A fullerene-based compound with proton-conductive functional groups was synthesized and characterized for fuel cell applications. The fullerene-based proton conductor was mixed with polyvinylidene difluoride (PVdF) as a binder to form the electrolyte membranes. The film property can be tuned by changing the ratio of the fullerene derivatives. The proton conductivity of the electrolyte membranes with 67 wt % fullerene derivative was higher than 4.5 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 25 {degree sign}C under relative humidity (RH) of 70%. The membrane-electrolyte assemblies with these materials showed high DMFC performance under ambient conditions.