Hyflon ion membranes for fuel cells

Processes based on membranes are attracting growing interest in the scientific community and in industry, because, in many cases, they offer a favorable alternative that is not easily achievable using conventional routes. In particular, membranes made with perfluorinated polymers are very interesting, because they exhibit unique features. Hydrophilic highly conductive proton exchange membranes have been developed from the copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and a short-side-chain (SSC) perfluorosulfonylfluoridevinyl ether (Hyflon Ion); they have found interesting application in the field of fuel cells, especially in view of the current tendency to move to high-temperature operation. The advantages given by these hydrophilic perfluorinated materials for use in membrane technology are discussed. The properties and performance of Hyflon Ion membranes are compared with other perfluorinated membranes present on the market.