Manufacturing of High-Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membranes—Part I: System Design and Modeling

The most important component of the fuel cell is the membrane electrolyte, having the fundamental responsibility of separating protons and electrons. Minor defects (e.g., pin holes) in the film will cause premature and/or catastrophic failure. As such, special attention should be given to the manufacturing of this fuel cell component. Increased interest in identifying and overcoming the technical and manufacturing challenges associated with fuel cells has surfaced over the past few years. To this end, a design methodology, the science, and the technology to manufacture unique high-temperature polymer electrolyte membranes in a uniform and continuous manner are presented, specifically focusing on system conceptualization, design, and modeling. It has been shown that an overall manufacturing system can be designed for a power-law fluid with time-temperature varying properties.