Polyaniline decorated graphene oxide on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) membrane for direct methanol fuel cells application

In direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), methanol crossover is a major issue which has reduced the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) for energy generation. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) and conductive polyaniline decorated GO (PANI‐GO) were used as additives in fabrication of sulfo...

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Published in:Polymers for advanced technologies 2022-01, Vol.33 (1), p.66-80
Main Authors: Yogarathinam, Lukka Thuyavan, Jaafar, Juhana, Ismail, Ahmad Fauzi, Goh, Pei Sean, Bin Mohamed, Mohd Hilmi, Radzi Hanifah, Mohamad Fahrul, Gangasalam, Arthanareeswaran, Peter, Jerome
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Additives
direct methanol fuel cell
Electrolytic cells
Fuel cells
Graphene
Ion exchange
Membranes
Methanol
methanol crossover
Morphology
Nanocomposites
polyaniline decorated graphene oxide
Polyanilines
proton conductivity
Selectivity
sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)
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Summary:In direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), methanol crossover is a major issue which has reduced the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) for energy generation. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) and conductive polyaniline decorated GO (PANI‐GO) were used as additives in fabrication of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) nanocomposite PEM membrane to reduce methanol crossover. PANI‐GO was synthesized by in situ polymerization method and the formation of PANI coated GO nanostructures was confirmed by surface morphology and crystallinity analysis. The membrane morphology and topography analysis confirmed that GO and PANI‐GO were well dispersed on the surface of SPEEK membrane. 0.1 wt% PANI‐GO modified SPEEK nanocomposite membrane exhibited the highest water uptake and ion exchange capacity of 40% and 1.74 meq g−1, respectively. The oxidative stability of the nanocomposite membranes also improved. Lower methanol permeability of 4.33 × 10−7 cm−2S−1 was noticed for 0.1 wt% PANI‐GO modified SPEEK membrane. PANI‐GO modified SPEEK membrane enhanced the proton conductivity, which was due to the existence of acidic and hydrophilic group present in PANI and GO. PANI‐GO modified SPEEK membrane held higher selectivity of 1.94 × 104 S cm−3 s−1. Overall, these studies revealed that PANI‐GO modified SPEEK membrane is a potential material for DMFC applications.
ISSN:1042-7147
1099-1581
DOI:10.1002/pat.5491