Conductivity of phosphoric acid: an in situ

comparative study of proton in phosphoric

acid fuel cell

T. Paul, D. Banerjee & K. Kargupta

Ionics
International Journal of Ionics The
Science and Technology of Ionic Motion

ISSN 0947-7047

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DOI 10.1007/s11581-015-1426-y

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 Author's personal copy
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DOI 10.1007/s11581-015-1426-y
ORIGINAL PAPER
Conductivity of phosphoric acid: an in situ comparative study
of proton in phosphoric acid fuel cell
T. Paul 1,3 & D. Banerjee 1 & K. Kargupta 2
Received: 30 December 2014 / Revised: 26 February 2015 / Accepted: 17 March 2015
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015
Abstract Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) unit has been con-
structed to obtain the concentration-dependent proton conduc-
tivity at of aqueous phosphoric acid at different cell tempera-
tures and fixed humidifier temperature. The proton conductiv-
ity of the acid has also been measured at different temperatures
using an electrolysis cell. The experimental results obtained
from different cells have been compared with the conductivity
obtained from the theoretical simulation. The simulated pro-
ton conductivity values at different cell temperatures matched
very well with that obtained from electrolysis cell. However,
the proton conductivities obtained from PAFC unit are found
to be three orders less than those of the simulated values which
may be due to transport limitations. Geometry optimization
and potential energy surface scans using ab initio calculations
indicate that the proton transfer in the cell can be enhanced by
the dilution of the phosphoric acid which significantly im-
proves the generation of hydrogen bonds.
Keywords Phosphoric acid fuel cell . Proton transfer . Proton
conductivity . Geometry optimization
* T. Paul
paultanmoy00@gmail.com
1
Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and
Technology, Shibpur Howrah, India
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, Jadavpur University, Jadavpur
Kolkata, India
3
Present address: Department of Solid State Physics, Indian
Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur Kolkata 700032,
India
Introduction
Concerns over the conventional fuels and techniques have
been stated in context of new energy technology. Batteries
and fuel cells are more promising as clean and renewable
energy sources. Studies of electrolyte and cathode materials
for high energy density batteries and electrochemical devices
are very helpful [1, 2]. Being an electrochemical device, fuel
cell converts chemical energy to electrical energy directly [3].
The studies on proton conductors as an electrolyte material for
fuel cell has surged recently [4–6]. Phosphoric acid fuel cells
(PAFCs) with proton conductors are advantageous compared
to conventional electric power generators because of its high
fuel conversion efficiency [7]. Also, a PAFC unit can maxi-
mize its output power up to 80 % by considering the thermo-
dynamic ideality within the normal operating conditions [8].
The low vapour pressure of phosphoric acid [9] helps the
electrolytic behaviour of phosphoric acid and also evaluates
the evaporation of phosphoric acid and dissipation with the H2
gas. More specifically, the cell performance is very much de-
pendent on the electrolyte-retaining matrix layer [10] and ion
conduction through the matrix. The best matrix material for
PA F C i s s i l i c o n c a r b i d e ( S i C ) w i t h a b i n d e r
polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE) content of about 3–13 wt%,
as the PTFE binder prevents the movement of the SiC parti-
cles inside the PAFC [10]. The orthophosphoric acid can be
taken as a binary mixture of H2O and P2O5 at 3:1 molar ratio.
The structure of phosphoric acid confirms the self-dissociation
to H4PO4+ and H2PO4− which enables to operate the cell up to
200 °C [8, 11]. A comparison on the proton conductivity of
phosphoric acid is reported in the concentration range 62.14–
85.58 % with a temperature range from 25 to 60 °C [12].
Additionally, the proton conductivity study of the aqueous
phosphoric acid in the temperature range 25–200 °C indicates
that the conduction mechanism follows the Grotthuss
 Author's personal copy
mechanism [13, 14]. An ab initio density functional study
regarding proton dissociation and transfer inside proton ex-
change membrane is also reported [15]. Results indicate that
first proton dissociation is possible even in low level of hy-
dration, whereas second proton dissociation requires more
water molecules with wide distribution of charge and hydro-
gen bonding between them. Electrochemical impedance spec-
troscopy (EIS) technique has been used as a diagnostic marker
to probe the cell performance [16]. Recently, our group has
evaluated the state of health in terms of drying, normal and
dilution of a unit PAFC at different cell temperatures and
humidifier temperatures using EIS [17]. A unit PAFC indi-
cates a single PAFC operating in its normal operating condi-
tions. In this paper, we have reported in situ, concentration-
dependent proton conductivity of aqueous phosphoric acid by
constructing a unit PAFC and an electrolysis cell. The varia-
tion of conductivity at different PAFC cell temperatures has
been studied also. The experimental results obtained from
different cells have been compared and analyzed by theoreti-
cal simulation and ab initio calculation using density function-
al theory of phosphoric acid which has not yet been reported.
Experimental procedure
Proton conductivity measurement using unit PAFC
The schematic representation of unit PAFC experiment is
shown in Fig. 1a. The unit PAFC consists of anode, cathode
and electrolyte. Two electrodes were composed of thin layer
of platinum (20 % Pt/C) deposited on to carbon plate. A glass
mat soaked in aqueous phosphoric acid was used as an elec-
trolyte. This electrolyte electrode assembly was placed be-
tween two graphite grooved plates as seen in Fig. 1a. Pure
Fig. 1 a Unit PAFC experimental
set-up with electrolyte electrode
assembly. A cross-sectional view
of graphite grooved plates is also
shown as an extension. b The
aqueous phosphoric acid
electrolysis cell (Colour figure
online)
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H2 was passed through a humidifier to moisturize the gas
and then connected to the anode through the graphite grooved
plates. On the other hand, pure O2 was directly connected to
the inlet of cathode through the graphite grooved plates. The
outlets of these graphite grooved plates were connected to
adsorbers to adsorb the gained moisture. The cross section
of the graphite grooved plate for maximizing the gas flow is
also shown as an extended figure in Fig. 1a. Two stainless
steel plates were placed at two ends as shown in Fig. 1a and
used as current collectors. A heating plate was inserted after
insulating electrically on the lower current collector to main-
tain the cell temperature. The total arrangement was kept com-
pact by two pusher plates. Throughout all the experiments, the
inflows of H2 and O2 were maintained at 100 and 50 cc/min,
respectively, as monitored by rotameter. The terminals of cath-
ode and anode were connected to impedance analyzer
(Metrohm Autolab, Model PGSTAT 302 N). Measurements
were performed at cell temperature from 85 to 130 °C and at
fixed humidifier temperature 70 °C with a fluctuation of
±0.1 °C and after 30 min of temperature stabilization. Ten-
millivoltz amplitude of sinusoidal excitation was applied to
obtain data in the frequency range from 1 mHz to 10 kHz.
The initial concentration of aqueous phosphoric acid was
88 % as obtained from Merck, India. The concentration of
phosphoric acid was lowered by adding appropriate amount
of deionized water. Following the conductivity measurements,
the acid concentration was determined using a pH meter to
detect the first equivalent point.
Proton conductivity measurement using phosphoric acid
electrolysis cell
To measure the proton conductivity directly, we have chosen
an electrolysis cell made of glass with two holes on the upper
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Fig. 2 Voltage and power density variation with current density for a unit
PAFC at cell temperature 150 °C and humidifier temperature 70 °C
side as seen in Fig. 1b. Sufficient amount of aqueous phos-
phoric acid was taken in the electrolysis cell so that the two Pt
disc electrodes were dipped into the acid through the holes of
the electrolysis cell and the Pt disc electrodes were connected
to the two probes of the impedance analyzer using Pt wires.
The set-up was placed on the heating plate as seen in Fig. 1b.
The conductivity measurement was performed after 15 min of
temperature stabilization.
Computational method
Geometry optimizations were performed using Jaguar 8.5 im-
plemented in Schrödinger material suite [18]. Full optimiza-
tions over all degrees of freedom were carried out by conjugate
gradient method [19] without symmetry constraints initially
invoking in Hartree-Fock theory with the 6-31G** split valence
basis set [20]. The resulting structures were refined thereafter
with density functional theory employing Becke’s three-
parameter hybrid functional (B3LYP) [21, 22] and the same
basis set. Final optimizations were performed at the B3LYP/6-
311G** level of theory [23]. Water molecule was added indi-
vidually to the optimized H3PO4 molecule at a variety of initial
positions, and full optimizations were performed using the pro-
cess described earlier. Partial charges and electrostatic potentials
were obtained according to the CHelpG scheme at the highest
level of theory [24]. Potential energy surface (PES) scans relat-
ed to proton transfer were performed at the B3LYP/6-31G**
level for all the optimized structures.
Table 1 Fitted parameters using
modified Randels-Ershler model Type of experiment RΩ (Ω) (±0.01)
and Randles model
Unit PAFC 0.4517
Electrolysis Cell – 18
The errors are indicated in parenthesis
Results and discussion
Figure 2 illustrates voltage and power density variation with
different current densities for the as-fabricated unit PAFC.
Here, the cell temperature and humidifier temperature are cho-
sen as the cell performance is satisfactory [17]. The open-
circuit voltage is obtained as 0.85 V inferring the healthy
response of the glass mat. The sharp fall of the voltage at high
current density indicates the higher discharge rate of the cell.
Figure 3a shows the Nyquist plot obtained from unit PAFC.
The data in Fig. 3a have been fitted using a modified Randels-
Ershler model [25], and the fitted values are also shown in
Table 1. The pictorial representation is also given in the inset
of Fig. 3a. Here, RΩ, Rct and Ws represent the ohmic resistance,
charge transfer resistance and finite-length Warburg imped-
ance, respectively. The conventional double-layer capacitance
is replaced by a constant phase element (CPE) because the
capacitance caused by the double-layer charging is distributed
along the length of the pores inside the porous electrode [26].
Ws signifies the diffusion of protons through the pores of the
glass mat. In Fig. 3b, the Nyquist plot is shown as obtained
from the electrolysis cell. The data in Fig. 3b are also fitted
using the Randles model [25], and also, the fitted values are
written in Table 1. The pictorial representation of the Randles
model is shown in the inset of Fig. 3b. Here, only Rct and CPE
are used to fit the data. The circuit components also exhibit the
simple electrochemical reaction in the electrolysis cell. The
single semicircle for both cases represents the occurrence of
reactant reduction reaction at the electrode-electrolyte inter-
face. As Pt supported carbon substrate is used as
electrocatalyst, so the overpotential for the oxidation of pure
hydrogen is negligible due to very facile hydrogen oxidation
kinetics on Pt. But, the strong kinetic inhibition at cathodic
oxygen reduction reaction leads to the high overpotential as
represented by these semicircles [27].
In Fig. 4a, b, we have presented the temperature depen-
dence of the proton conductivity for two different concentra-
tions of phosphoric acid and also by comparing both experi-
mental results. Water evaporation and condensation of phos-
phoric acid above 100 °C may be a problem in proton con-
ductivity measurement. In our experiments, the phosphoric
acid is used in its concentrated form (88 and 80 %). Thus,
the use of concentrated acid minimizes the water vapour pres-
sure, and hence, water management in the cell is not difficult
to achieve [8, 9]. Additionally, if there is a chance for water
Rct (Ω) (±1) Diffusion time (ms) Qg (Fsn−1)×10−9 n
961 14.95 4.83 0.88
– 4.53 0.78
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Fig. 3 Nyquist plots obtained for
a unit PAFC experiment at cell
temperature 150 °C and
humidifier temperature 70 °C and
b phosphoric acid electrolysis cell
at 70 °C. The equivalent circuits
are also shown in the insets
evaporation, the inlets of the experimental set-up (see Fig. 1b)
are made in such a fashion that the tendency gets reduced. We
have also checked the concentration of H3PO4 after the proton
conductivity measurement at temperature 130 °C, and we
have found no significant variation in concentration. On the
other hand, the proton conductivity measurement has per-
formed readily as described in the BExperimental procedure^
section. Consequently, the linear response of the proton con-
ductivity indicates that the protons follow the Grotthuss mech-
anism. The Grotthuss mechanism is a common parlance for
describing anomalous transport processes in aqueous acidic
and basic solutions [14]. But, in a pure Grotthuss transport
process, a concerted proton hopping along chains of
hydrogen-bonded polar molecules is not supported for the
bulk solutions [14]. As a result, protons are displaced on short
distances with its accompanying solvent. Here, the proton
conduction is possible due to formation of contact pair be-
tween H4PO4+ and H2PO4− and migration of the ions and,
subsequently, neutralization of these ions in water solution
of the phosphoric acid [14]. The main driving force behind
these steps is the transient response of very short hydrogen
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bonds ~2.60 Å [14]. Here, we have extended this idea by
measuring the temperature-dependent proton conductivity.
Figure 4a, b suggests that the proton conductivity is indepen-
dent of thermal energy but depends on the concentration of
phosphoric acid. So, the formation of contact ion pair and the
build-up of Grotthuss chain both are dependent on the acid
concentration. It is observed in Fig. 4a, b that with decreasing
phosphoric acid concentration, the proton conductivity in-
creases. Recently, it has been reported that the self-
dissociation of phosphoric acid is responsible for high con-
centration of protons [14] and this self dissociation is high in
its high aqueous solution. So, the proton conductivity in-
creases with decreasing concentration of phosphoric acid.
Theoretical calculations to support this context are given
afterwards.
The proton conductivities at different concentrations of
phosphoric acid and temperatures are given in literature [13].
The variation of proton conductivity with concentration of
phosphoric acid is fitted with fourth-order polynomial at a
particular temperature to find a relation between them. We
have picked 70, 90, 100, 120, 140 and 160 °C to obtain a
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Fig. 4 Temperature dependence of proton conductivity of aqueous

phosphoric acid: a 88 % and b 80 % using different measurements
(Colour figure online)

Fig. 5 Optimized (B3LYP/6-311G**) geometries of H3PO4 with

relation between the proton conductivity and concentration of
phosphoric acid from Table 1 in ref. [13]. The fourth-order
polynomial is used to fit the data, as at this order, the goodness
of fit increases. Later, Lagrange interpolation technique is ap-
plied to find proton conductivity at any intermediate temper-
ature. The detail of the simulation is given elsewhere [28]. The
simulation data are also shown in Fig. 4a, b for both
different hydration levels at top panel and potential energy surfaces
respective of each figure at the bottom panel: a H3PO4 + H2O, b
H3PO4 + H2O, c H3PO4 + 2H2O and d H3PO4 + 2H2O with their
different orientations (Colour figure online)
concentrations of phosphoric acid. It can be seen that the pro-
ton conductivity measured in phosphoric acid electrolysis cell

Table 2 Energetics of optimized

geometries at the B3LYP/6- n H2O Reference figure Total internal energya Zero-point energy (ZPE)b Interacting protons
311G** level
0 – −644.094486 30.349 0
1 Fig. 5a −720.487127 46.253 2
1 Fig. 5b −720.527323 46.720 2
2 Fig. 5c −796.924352 62.328 3
2 Fig. 5d −796.942402 62.580 3
3 Fig. 6a −873.364115 79.063 4
3 Fig. 6b −873.356301 79.204 4
3 Fig. 6c −873.384168 78.857 5
3 Fig. 6d −873.346523 78.752 5

Here, 0 stands for H3PO4 only

a
Total internal energy = (SCFE + ZPE + U) in hartrees
b
Zero-point energy in kilocalorie per mole
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Table 3 Assignment of infrared active bands at different frequencies

for optimized geometries at the B3LYP/6-311G** level

n H2O Reference figure νs (cm−1) νb (cm−1) νs + νb (cm−1)

1 Fig. 5a 140.108 213.892 -

321.919
352.302
1 Fig. 5b 192.898 320.949 -
245.631 359.014
2 Fig. 5c 169.019 247.888 -
266.151 260.684
293.325
305.013
333.854
361.561
2 Fig. 5d 115.474 321.581 201.207
138.437 224.416
269.736 245.140
329.060
335.630
3 Fig. 6a 45.800 276.220 378.054
74.560 291.856
97.932 301.726
186.516 323.338
217.268
243.461
249.964
3 Fig. 6b 29.209 334.096 238.883
37.255 348.214 251.482
42.970 362.259 274.502
134.059 380.550 294.752
161.821
194.120
211.729
3 Fig. 6c 38.465 28.893 251.267
84.346 317.164 281.391
107.162 340.668
Fig. 6 Optimized (B3LYP/6-311G**) geometries of H3PO4 with 139.463 353.419
different hydration levels at top panel and potential energy surfaces 186.801 362.034
respective of each figure at the bottom panel: a H3PO4 + 3H2O, b 212.201 385.787
H3PO4 + 3H2O, c H3PO4 + 3H2O and d H3PO4 + 3H2O with their 230.211
different orientations (Colour figure online) 3 Fig. 6d 185.301 32.115 280.972
202.672 47.828 300.487
231.854 99.561 331.364
and that obtained from literature value [13] match well (same 265.171 360.419 339.840
order of magnitude), whereas there is a third-order drop in 401.799 352.501
proton conductivity which has been obtained from PAFC unit
experiment. The drop in proton conductivity may be due to
transport limitations. of charges. The hydrogen bonds are denoted by dotted lines,
In this section, we have tried to explain the fact that with and the bond lengths are also given in unit of angstrom. These
decreasing acid concentration, the proton conductivity in- charge delocalization effects are found to play critical role in
creases. As it is known that hydrogen bonding is an important first proton dissociation at low level of hydration (see bottom
feature of proton transport as well as proton conductivity, the panels of Fig. 5). The term hydration level indicates the num-
interaction of hydrogen with oxygen through bonding is the ber of water molecules added to a H3PO4 molecule to find the
main focus in these theoretical studies. In Figs. 5a–d and 6a–d, interaction in computation. The total internal energy and the
the top panel of each figure shows the optimized geometry zero-point energy of all the studied systems are given in
structures with their electrostatic potential in the bottom panel. Table 2. It has been obtained from Table 2 that with increasing
For each bottom panel, the blue regions are electron deficient hydration level (say two and three molecules of water), total
and the red regions are electron-rich. Delocalization of charge energy gets favourable but for a particular type of hydration
is visible in the bottom panels. The flexibility of molecules for level (say two or three molecules of water), the value of total
hydrogen bonding between them results in the delocalization energies is nearly same. The same energy value for a particular
 Author's personal copy
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frequencies are responsible for hydrogen bonds [29]. The in-

creasing number of infrared active bands with increasing hy-
dration level in Table 3 indicates the possibility of more hy-
drogen bonds. As a result, the proton conductivity of H3PO4
increases.

Conclusions

The temperature variations of the proton conductivity of aque-

ous phosphoric acid obtained from different cells are in line
with the simulated data. However, the conductivity values
obtained from PAFC are three orders lower than those obtain-
ed from electrolysis cell, which may be attributed due to trans-
port limitations at different cell temperatures and fixed humid-
ifier temperature. The Grotthuss mechanism is found to be
suitable to explain the temperature- and concentration-
dependent proton conductivity obtained from PAFC with
highest power density of 0.05 W cm−2. The ab initio density
functional theory calculations of phosphoric acid in its differ-
ent hydration levels indicate the higher possibility of hydrogen
bond formation with increasing water molecule which leads to
greater proton transfer. The infrared active bands obtained in
lower wavelengths suggest the same conjecture on hydrogen
bond formation.

Acknowledgments T. Paul wishes to thank Mr. Raghu Rangaswamy

for the license of Schrödinger suite.
Fig. 7 Infrared spectra for all the optimized structures of a H3PO4 + H2O
associated with Fig. 5a, b H3PO4 + H2O associated with Fig. 5b, c H3PO4
+ 2H2O associated with Fig. 5c, d H3PO4 + 2H2O associated with Fig. 5d, References
e H3PO4 + 3H2O associated with Fig. 6a, f H3PO4 + 3H2O associated
with Fig. 6b, g H3PO4 + 3H2O associated with Fig. 6c and h H3PO4 +
3H2O associated with Fig. 6d 1.
2.
hydration level indicates that the addition of water molecule is 3.
position independent to H3PO4. The higher value of total en-
ergy indicates the increasing possibility of proton transfer. As 4.
5.
a result, the proton conductivity increases with decreasing acid
concentration. Both strong- (1.58 Å) and moderate (1.68 Å)- 6.
type hydrogen bonds have been formed in all these types of 7.
geometries. As stated earlier, each hydrogen bond represents a
8.
proton transfer and the number of interacting protons is listed
in Table 2. The increasing value of interacting proton further 9.
confirms the increasing proton conductivity with decreasing 10.
acid concentration.
In this section, we have studied the infrared active bands 11.
12.
obtained after optimization of the structures. The infrared 13.
spectra for all the optimized geometries are also shown in 14.
Fig. 7. The vibrational bands are categorized into three such
as νs (stretching vibrational band consisting both symmetric 15.
16.
and asymmetric), νb (bending vibrational band) and νs + νb
(both stretching and bending vibrational band). It is clearly 17.
observed that the peaks of the infrared active bands in lower
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