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Different Types of Transport Mechanisms Occuring in AEMs

Decent Essays

Main role of an Anion ion membrane is to conduct hydroxyl ions at very high rates from the cathode to the anode where reduction and oxidation of O2 and H2 occur. The AEM and its integration with the electrodes form the heart of the alkaline fuel cell. If the transport through the AEM is not sufficiently high and highly selective, the corresponding fuel cell will not find any practical application. Different types of transport mechanisms occurring in AEMs, is taken from the large amount of literature available on proton exchange membranes (PEMs). Proton transport mechanisms include combinations of the Grotthuss mechanism, masse diffusion, migration, surface site hopping along sulfonic acid side chains, and convective processes. However, it has been experimentally observed that the proton conductivity also depends on environmental conditions, such as temperature, relative humidity and pressure. Although anion conductivities are several times smaller than proton conductivities in Nafion, similar dependency on relative humidity and temperature has been observed. Based on these similarities, researchers initially assumed that hydroxide transport mechanisms in the AEM could be analogous to that of the transport of protons in proton exchange membranes fig presents a schematic representation of the different transport mechanisms that may be observed in an AEM The Grotthuss mechanism, diffusion, migration, and convection are considered to be the dominant transport mechanisms for

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