Portable smart highly proton conductive all inorganic gel paste electrolyte with optimum phosphorous to silicon ratio for enhanced durable operation of a fuel cell

Abstract

Portable smart low-cost proton conductive gel paste electrolytes, capable of retaining their properties over a few months and of being stored, are of significance in the context of portable fuel cell power sources. A low-cost, sol gel derived inorganic gel paste electrolyte with an optimum phosphorous to silicon ratio of five, whose proton conductivity exceeds Nafion in the broad temperature range of 50–180 °C, is reported herein. The fuel cell assembled with this gel paste coated on a glass mat, operating at a temperature of 160 °C, produces a maximum current density of >1 A cm⁻², a power density of >210 mW cm⁻² and offers stable durable operation up to 29 hours under a 50 mA cm⁻² load. The significance of these findings is that the gel paste may be used to replace conventional liquid and membrane electrolytes in fuel cells and be applied in new generation electronics with portable fuel cells.