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Adsorption-Engineered Hydrocarbon Ionomers for Durable Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

delete2026-08-12
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OA
AI
H
Heemin Park
K
Kate Chen
S
Su Min Ahn
H
Hengquan Guo
C
Cy Fujimoto
J
Jong-Ho Choi
L
Lynda Amichi
D
Danah Kim
S
Seung Geol Lee *
王肖静 cover
王肖静 (Xiaojing Wang)
J
Jacob S. Spendelow
S
Sun Young Kang
P
Panagiotis Bexis
E
Eun Joo Park *
Y
Yu Seung Kim *
DOI:10.1002/adma.74561delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Reducing reliance on perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells requires hydrocarbon ionomers that combine high performance with long-term durability, a persistent challenge in catalyst-layer design. Here, we identify oxidation-driven ionomer-catalyst interfacial degradation as a dominant failure pathway in hydrocarbon ionomer-bonded cathodes and introduce an adsorption-engineering strategy to overcome this limitation. The comparison of a commercial sulfonated poly(phenylene) (Pemion) with structurally engineered sulfonated poly(fluorene)s demonstrated that electrode durability is governed by the interplay between ionomer adsorption strength and resistance to oxidative degradation on carbon-supported Pt catalysts. A poly(fluorene) ionomer with mobile alkyl sulfonic acid groups forms resilient interfaces, delivering 1.28 A cm−2 at 0.65 V under fully humidified H2/air conditions (80°C and 150 kPaabs), comparable to Pemion. After 90,000 accelerated potential cycles, the poly(fluorene)-bonded cathode exhibits significantly improved durability, with only 29% performance loss compared to 58% for Pemion; further molecular refinement reduces the loss to 17%, approaching that of Nafion-bonded cathodes (14%). These findings establish adsorption-engineered ionomer design that decouples interfacial anchoring from oxidative degradation as a general strategy for achieving durable, high-performance PFAS-free PEM fuel cell electrodes.
Keywords:
durability
electrode
ionomer
ionomer adsorption
materials science
proton exchange membrane fuel cell
sulfonic acid
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Advanced Materials cover
Advanced Materials
IF:
26.8
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3.4W
Citations:
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L
los alamos national laboratory
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640
Papers: 237
Citations: 0
U
ulsan national institute of science and technology
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O
oak ridge national laboratory
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Sandia National Laboratories
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