One of the challenges working with Nafion is that it’s dimensions and mechanical properties change depending on the about of water present in the membrane. As the graph shows below, when fully saturated, Nafion can expand up to 18% when fully saturated. Additionally, it looses its strength as well. This makes it a challenge when integrating the membrane into mechanical systems – this high expansion (or contraction) potential must be taken into account when designing your system.
