PFSA Proton Exchange Membrane - Unreinforced - D175, D120 – ElectroHy: the Decarbonization Marketplace

PFSA Proton Exchange Membrane - Unreinforced - D175, D120

120 micrometers thick 30×30cm

$209.00

PFSA Proton Exchange Membrane - Unreinforced - D175, D120

$209.00

1007001

Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) polymer chemistry based proton exchange membranes or PEM (also known as cation exchange membranes, CEM) have been the golden standard in the industry for more than 30 years for numerous electrochemical and non-electrochemical applications.

Product Information

This product page discloses the product details of two different PFSA Proton Exchange Membrane - Unreinforced, namely D175 and D120. Membrane thickness for D175 is approximately 175 micrometes (~7-mil). D120 membrane has a thickness of ~120 micrometers (~5-mil). Both of these membrane products are belonging to the unreinforced category, i.e., there is no mechanical reinforcement in them. Unreinforced PEM is also known as self-supporting material in the market. These membrane products are manufactured via extrusion melt process. Both of these membranes are manufactured from the chemically stabilized PFSA resin to achieve longevity for the demanding applications. The polymer structure for both of these products are based on the long-side-chain PFSA for its chemical composition. Unreinforced proton exchange membranes based on the long-side-chain PFSA will usually exhibit high proton or ionic conductivity as a result of their affinity to interact with water molecules and keep these within the membrane itself. This affinity towards water molecules also induces swelling in the membrane.

Both of these proton exchange membranes (i.e., 175 and 120 micrometers thick) are usually considered to be relatively thick membranes compared to what are available in the market and suitable for pressurized applications such as high pressure PEM electrolyzers or applications that demand membranes with low crossover properties such as alcohol and organic fuel consuming fuel cells. When safety and longevity are the critical determinants in a product development, use of this membrane product is recommended. Examples of other applications that can benefit from this membrane are given below.

Main specifications:

Physical properties	D120	D175	Test Methode
Thickness(µm)	120±10	175±10	NA
Weight (g/m2)	250±10	350±10	NA
Tensile Strength (TD/MD) (MPa)	≥30/30	≥30/30	ASTM D882
Elongation at Break (TD/MD) (%)	≥200/200	≥200/200	ASTM D882
Young’s Modulus (TD/MD)（MPa）	≥200/200	≥180/180	ASTM D882
Hydration Dimensional Change(TD/MD/Z)（%）	≤25/25/25	≤25/25/25	ASTM D570
Conductivity（mS/cm）	≥140	≥140	GB/T 20042.3-2022

Durability tests of D175 and D120:

Other features:

Stabilization: Chemically stabilized, which is also known as fully fluorinated end-groups
Structure: Long-side-chain PFSA
production: Extrusion melt process
Reinforcement: Unreinforced
Standard availability: 30×30cm

Please see the table below for the list of our proton exchange membranes for electrolysis and other applications.

Product Model	Thickness	Reinforcement	Recombination Layer
D175	175	No	No
D120	120	No	No
D80R	80	Yes	No
D50R	50	Yes	No
D80R-Pt	80	Yes	Yes
D50R-Pt	50	Yes	Yes

Storage:

The product must be kept in a sealed package before use; once the box is opened, it must be stored in an environment with temperature of 23±5°C and relative humidity of 50±5%, and use it as soon as possible.
Store the product away from direct sunlight, heat and dust.

Please let us know if you want larger sizes or other thickness at info@elelctrohy.com.

More Information on PFSA Membranes

There have been three categories of the PFSA-based proton exchange membranes for their polymer structures, namely long-side-chain (LSC) PFSA, medium-side-chain (MSC) PFSA, and short-side-chain (SSC) PFSA. Chemours' Nafion™ is a good example for the PEMs that are based on the long-side-chain PFSA. 3M's Dyneon™ PFSA is a good example for the PEMs that are based on the medium-side-chain PFSA. Syensqo's Aquivion® is a good example for the PEMs that are based on the short-side-chain PFSA.

Polymer Structure of PFSA Membranes

The following two images provide the polymer structure of different PFSA membranes and different sections of the polymer chain labeled.

The above image is courtesy of Delfino et. al. for their publication that is entitled "Short Side-Chain Perfluorosulfonic Acid Aquivion: From Production to Application".

The above image is courtesy of Wang et. al. for their publication that is entitled "Cathode Design for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells in Automotive Applications".

Nano-structure of PFSA Membranes

Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes have a very unique property as a result of having hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments in their polymer backbone and this is known as phase separation. Multiple sulfonic acid based side chains will cluster together to form a hydrophilic domain. TFE domains will also form a cluster amongst themselves and form a hydrophobic domain. The following is a phenomenological sketch of the nano-structure for Nafion-based PFSA membrane that shows the phase separation into three regions: perfluorinated hydrocarbon backbone, side chains with fixed sulfonic acid end groups, and water region (the image is courtesy of Haubold et al. for their publication entitled as "Nano Structure of Nafion: A SAXS Study").

To further clarify the cluster-network model for the morphology of the hydrated PFSA membranes, the following pictorial description is an excellent depiction how such materials behave at the nano-scale. The image below is courtesy of Mauritz and Moore from their article entitled " State of Understanding Nafion" which is an excellent publication to review and understand most aspects of PFSA membranes.

Summary of Potential Applications for This Product

The following are simply some of the examples that used PFSA membrane based products. Researchers and end-users exploring these applications, and other electrohemical and non-electrochemical use cases can benefit from this product.

Clean Energy and Power Generation