Abstract
Polyelectrolyte multilayered (PEM) membranes were constructed by the layer-by-layer electrostatic self assembly technique and tested for their application as proton exchange membranes in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). The performance of the PEM membranes in DMFC was evaluated in terms of methanol permeability and proton conductivity. The methanol permeability of PEM membranes decreased significantly with increasing polyelectrolyte layers. However, the proton conductivity of the PEM membranes was better than or similar to the pristine Nafion-117 at higher temperatures. The characterization of the PEM membranes and the test results of the single cell test with the membranes are presented. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 2006 AIChE National Meeting (San Francisco, CA 11/12-17/2006).