Hydrogen isotope separation with an alkaline membrane fuel cell

Observation of 18O/16O isotope effects at the cathode of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

¹⁸O/¹⁶O isotope effects were observed at the cathode of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell at 25 and 35°C. Results of experiments in which the ¹⁸O/¹⁶O isotope ratios of the oxygen gases supplied to and exhausted from the cell were measured revealed that the lighter isotope ¹⁶O reacted more preferentially to form water molecules at the cathode than the heavier one, ¹⁸O. The value of the oxygen isotope separation factor, S₁, defined as the ratio of the ¹⁸O/¹⁶O isotope ratios of the oxygen gases supplied to and exhausted from the cell, ranged from 1.0030 to 1.0139, and tended to decrease with decreasing rate of oxygen utilisation (θ) and with increasing flow rate of the feed oxygen gas (D_F). The value of another separation factor, S₂, defined as the ratio of the ¹⁸O/¹⁶O isotope ratios of the exhausted oxygen gas and oxygen having reacted to form water molecules at the cathode, ranged from 1.0049 to 1.0304. The S₂ value was much less affected by the change in θ and D_F than the S₁ value with the majority of the S₂ value being in the range of 1.0240-1.0304.

Novel PEFC Application for Deuterium Isotope Separation

The use of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) with a Nafion membrane for isotopic separation of deuterium (D) was investigated. Mass analysis at the cathode side indicated that D diffused through the membrane and participated in an isotope exchange reaction. The exchange of D with protium (H) in H₂O was facilitated by a Pt catalyst. The anodic data showed that the separation efficiency was dependent on the D concentration in the source gas, whereby the water produced during the operation of the PEFC was more enriched in D as the D concentration of the source gas was increased.