Other Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Molecular-Level Modeling Of Proton Transport In Aqueous Systems And Polymer Electrolyte Membranes: A Reactive Molecular Dynamics Study, Myvizhi Esai Selvan

Doctoral Dissertations

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells are an eco-friendly power source that has great potential to reduce our oil dependence for our stationary and transportation applications. In order to make PEM fuel cells an economically viable option, further effort is needed to improve proton conduction under wide operating conditions and reduce the cost of production. Design and synthesis of novel membranes that have superior characteristics require a fundamental molecular-level understanding of the relationship between the polymer chemistry, water content and proton conduction. The performance of a fuel cell is influenced by the electrochemical and molecular/proton transport processes that occur at …