MUMBAI, India, Sept. 28 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202511021221 A) filed by Council Of Scientific And Industrial Research on March 07, 2025, for Short-Side Chain Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Enriched Composite Membrane For Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells.
Inventors include Santoshkumar D Bhat; Vishal M Dhavale; Sreekuttan M U; and Harshal Agarwal.
The application for the patent was published on September 25, 2026, under issue no. 39/2026.
Abstract: The present invention relates to a pristine composite polymer electrolyte membrane for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), designed to deliver high proton conductivity and superior fuel cell performance under low relative humidity (RH) conditions. The membrane comprises a short-side chain perfluorosulfonic acid (SSC- PFSA) polymer matrix integrated with polyaminobenzene sulfonic acid-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (PABS-f-SWCNT) in an amount ranging from 0.25 wt% to 1 wt%, resulting in a membrane thickness of 50 ± 2 µm. Zwitterionic interactions and dipolar ion formation arising from –NH2 and –SO3H functional groups enhance ion mobility, effectively doubling the ionic conductivity compared to pristine SSC-PFSA membranes. The membrane is fabricated via a solution casting process using dimethylacetamide (DMAc), followed by vacuum drying and acid activation. A polymer electrolyte fuel cell incorporating the membrane demonstrates a peak power density of approximately 1.6 W/cm² at 30% RH and 1.7 W/cm² at 100% RH, along with a current density of 2 A/cm² at 0.6 V under H2-O2 conditions. Further, present invention provides a cost-effective, scalable solution for improving fuel cell efficiency under dry operating conditions, making it suitable for automotive and portable energy applications.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
