Polybenzimidazole (PBI) Cation-Exchange Membrane (NEXIONIC, T=15-45 um) for High-Temperature Electroyzer and Fuel Cell, CHTEFCCEMPBIN

NEXIONIC PBI (Polybenzimidazole) membranes are a class of high-performance, non-fluorinated polymer electrolyte membranes engineered specifically for High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cells, high-temperature water electrolyzers, and gas separation applications. While low-temperature PEMs (like standard perfluorosulfonic acid / Nafion membranes) require liquid water to facilitate proton transfer and are limited to operating below ~ 80°C, PBI-based membranes rely on phosphoric acid (H3PO4) doping to enable fast proton conduction under anhydrous or low-humidity conditions across 120°C to 200°C.

The key application fields are: (1) Reformed Methanol Fuel Cells (RMFC): Direct integration with on-board methanol/hydrocarbon steam reformers without requiring ultra-pure water gas shift (WGS) purification stages. (2) Stationary Combined Heat and Power (CHP): High-temperature waste heat rejection (>100°C) directly usable for domestic or industrial hot water and heating. (3) Electrochemical Hydrogen Pumps / Purifiers: Separation of pure hydrogen from synthesis gas or industrial tailgas streams at elevated temperatures. (4) HT-PEM Water Electrolysis / Gas Separation: Electrochemical processing under elevated temperatures to boost kinetics and reduce overpotentials.

Part Number	CHTEFCCEMPBIN (C-HTEFC-CEM-PBIN)
Chemical Structure
Appearance	Brown or Dark Brown
Membrane Thickness & Molecular Weight	(1) T=15 um, Mw = 12000 (2) T=25 um, Mw = 40000 (3) T=30 um, Mw = 120000 (4) T=35 um, Mw = 40000 (5) T=45 um, Mw = 120000
Sheet Dimensions	(1) 10cm * 10cm (2) 20cm * 20 cm Other large dimensions can be supplied upon request
Operation Temperature	120–180 °C
Pretreatment Status	Phosphoric acid pretreatment is required. Clean the membrane with DI H2O/ethanol for 10-20 min Immersed in 85-10% H3PO4 for 1-48 h at 80-120°C Rising with DI H2O for multiple times to remove free H3PO4 Dry the membrane at low temperature (<60°C) for 12-14 h
Proton Conductivity	~0.1 S/cm (at 160°C, anhydrous)
Acid Concentration for Operation	55 wt% (+/-4 wt%)
Package Grade	1 pcs/pack

References

(1）K. Likit-anurak, et al., Polybenzimidazole Membranes as Nafion Replacement in Aqueous HCl Electrolyzers, ACS Appl. Energy Mater. 2023, 6, 10, 5429–5434. 

(2) Q. Li, et al., PBI-Based Polymer Membranes for High Temperature Fuel Cells – Preparation, Characterization and Fuel Cell Demonstration, Fuel Cells, 2004, 4, 147-159.