Transport coefficients of ions in polyelectrolyte membrane channels
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The electrical properties of the nanopores play a crucial role in the transport of ions through polymeric materials employed in the construction of fuel cells. It is important to understand the potential field that originates from a fixed distribution of anionic charges, arranged on the pore wall, within these nanopores. A better understanding allows for a better qualitative and quantitative model of the molecular dynamics of ions that are transported through these pores. Once a good formulation of the potential field within the pore is obtained, it can be immediately applied to the calculation of the friction and diffusion coefficients, a most desirable result for the industrial constructors of fuel cells. This potential field was formulated for a basic pore model and used to obtain values for the friction coefficient, which were compared with experimental values to determine the validity of the pore model.