Hydrogen fuel cells rely on proton exchange membranes to conduct protons while preventing the unwanted crossover of hydrogen molecules. Thinner membranes can improve performance but also allow more hydrogen molecules to leak through, reducing overall efficiency. So, researchers from Vanderbilt University, along with international collaborators, have developed a way to improve fuel cell efficiency without reducing its performance. By incorporating a monolayer of graphene – an ultra-thin material just one atom thick – into proton exchange membranes, the team significantly reduced hydrogen crossover by more than 50% while maintaining high proton conductivity. Part of the research work was performed at the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.
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