The path a proton takes
Scenic route preferred to more direct path in alternative fuel cell membrane
PNNL scientists examine how water and protons behave in the tiny channels that pass from one side to another through an alternative membrane in fuel cells.
Running simulations on supercomputers at EMSL and National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, or PNNL, gained a better understanding of how protons travel through alternative fuel cell membranes. Their findings, highlighted on the cover of Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, could lead to inexpensive and more durable membranes in fuel cells.
Read the full story from PNNL.
Reference: R Devanathan and M Dupuis. 2012. "Insight from Molecular Modelling: Does the Polymer Side Chain Length Matter for Transport Properties of Perfluorosulfonic Acid Membranes?" Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 14:11281-11295. DOI:10.1039/C2CP24132C.
Released: September 10, 2012
