Measurement of methanol diffusion coefficient in polymer electrode membrane by small NMR sensor (1st report, development of method to measure methanol diffusion coefficient and evaluation of measured results)

A method for measuring the diffusion coefficient of methanol in a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) was developed using the NMR method. A circular coil of 0.6 mm inside diameter was used as a small NMR sensor. The PEM was inserted in a penetration cell, where methanol solvent is supplied to one side of the PEM and nitrogen gas is supplied to the other side of the PEM. The small NMR sensor was placed on the nitrogen gas side of the PEM. The small NMR sensor detects the NMR signal from the methanol solvent which permeates the PEM. The CH and OH components of the methanol solvent were obtained from the NMR signal by spectral analysis. The methanol concentration in the PEM was determined by the ratio of CH to OH components. The methanol concentration was acquired at intervals of 30 s and was measured for 2 000 s. After 1500 seconds, the methanol concentration in the PEM reaches a steady state. The final methanol concentration was about 20% of the methanol concentration of the solvent. It assumed that the diffusion phenomenon of methanol in a PEM was a one-dimensional transport phenomenon, and the time-dependent change of methanol concentration was analyzed by parameterizing the diffusion coefficient. The diffusion coefficient of methanol in a PEM was determined by comparison with the measurement result of the time change of methanol concentration and the analysis results. The concentration difference diffusion coefficient of methanol in PEM obtained using this method was 3.5*10^-10 m²/s.