The membrane is one of the key components within any PEM based electrochemical cell. Nafion™ is currently the most commonly used material and functions as a benchmark material. Nafion™ comes in a variety of thicknesses, typically the thinner the membrane material the better the proton conductivity is, though the poorer the gas seperation and life expectancy is. For new fuel cell catalyst systems, PEM components recommends using Nafion™ 212 as it is double as thick as 211 allowing rougher surfaces in contact with the membrane without puncturing it.
New and exclusively offered by PEM components is the hydrocarbon based SPX3 of MXpolymers. This membrane material offers superior performance over Nafion™, such as higher proton conductivity and gas barrier properties. More information about SPX3 can be found in the download section.
