Design and Development of Thermoplastic Polyurethane Based Composite Membranes

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Vasanthakumari
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Water Absorption ◽  
Thermoplastic Polyurethane ◽  
Composite Membranes ◽  
Design And Development ◽  
Good Thermal Stability ◽  
Electrolyte Membranes ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
High Flexibility

Polymer electrolyte membranes used in fuel cells are proton selective and hence allows only protons to pass through it. The electrolyte composition, morphology and water absorption properties of the membrane greatly influence the performance of the fuel cell. For example the membranes used in fuel cells should meet following requirements. • Good thermal stability above 250°C. • Proton conductivity greater than 10^-2 S/cm. • Good water absorption and water retaining capacity. • mechanical strength and flexibility. The present paper is focused on design and development of a membrane suitable for fuel cell application. The base polymer chosen in this present work has been thermoplastic polyurethane because of its high flexibility, temperature resistance and solubility in organic solvent such as DMF. Fabrication of the coating machine was done and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) based Composite membranes with an average thickness of 40 microns were cast. Sulphonation of polystyrene was carried out to get SPS with assay 98%. TPU based composite membranes with conducting resins of 25% SPEEK, 4%SPS and 10% PANI were cast and characterized by FTIR, DSC, four probe conductivity and SEM. The composite membranes were studied for fuel cell suitability. The studies show that a current in the range of 0.5×10−4 A to 0.8344×10−4 A and about 0.5V can be drawn out of these membranes. The results were compared with that of NAFION membrane.

scholarly journals Polymer Electrolyte Membranes Based on Nafion and a Superacidic Inorganic Additive for Fuel Cell Applications

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Mazzapioda ◽  
Stefania Panero ◽  
Maria Assunta Navarra
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Ion Exchange ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Sol Gel ◽  
Composite Membranes ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Thermal Transitions ◽  
Ion Exchange Capacity ◽  
Electrolyte Membranes

Nafion composite membranes, containing different amounts of mesoporous sulfated titanium oxide (TiO2-SO4) were prepared by solvent-casting and tested in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), operating at very low humidification levels. The TiO2-SO4 additive was originally synthesized by a sol-gel method and characterized through x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and ion exchange capacity (IEC). Peculiar properties of the composite membranes, such as the thermal transitions and ion exchange capacity, were investigated and here discussed. When used as an electrolyte in the fuel cell, the composite membrane guaranteed an improvement with respect to bare Nafion systems at 30% relative humidity and 110 °C, exhibiting higher power and current densities.

Biopolymer-based electrolyte membranes from chitosan incorporated with montmorillonite-crosslinked GPTMS for direct methanol fuel cells

RSC Advances ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 2314-2322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mochammad Purwanto ◽  
Lukman Atmaja ◽  
Mohamad Azuwa Mohamed ◽  
M. T. Salleh ◽  
Juhana Jaafar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Composite Membrane ◽  
Direct Methanol Fuel Cell ◽  
Direct Methanol Fuel Cells ◽  
Electrolyte Membranes ◽  
Direct Methanol ◽  
Methanol Fuel Cells ◽  
Methanol Fuel Cell

A composite membrane was fabricated from biopolymer chitosan and montmorillonite (MMT) filler as an alternative membrane electrolyte for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) application.

scholarly journals A Review of Recent Developments and Advanced Applications of High-Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for PEM Fuel Cells

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (17) ◽  
pp. 5440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khadijeh Hooshyari ◽  
Bahman Amini Horri ◽  
Hamid Abdoli ◽  
Mohsen Fallah Vostakola ◽  
Parvaneh Kakavand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membranes ◽  
Cell Performance ◽  
Fuel Cell Performance ◽  
Electrolyte Membranes ◽  
Recent Developments

This review summarizes the current status, operating principles, and recent advances in high-temperature polymer electrolyte membranes (HT-PEMs), with a particular focus on the recent developments, technical challenges, and commercial prospects of the HT-PEM fuel cells. A detailed review of the most recent research activities has been covered by this work, with a major focus on the state-of-the-art concepts describing the proton conductivity and degradation mechanisms of HT-PEMs. In addition, the fuel cell performance and the lifetime of HT-PEM fuel cells as a function of operating conditions have been discussed. In addition, the review highlights the important outcomes found in the recent literature about the HT-PEM fuel cell. The main objectives of this review paper are as follows: (1) the latest development of the HT-PEMs, primarily based on polybenzimidazole membranes and (2) the latest development of the fuel cell performance and the lifetime of the HT-PEMs.

scholarly journals Recent Advancements in Polysulfone Based Membranes for Fuel Cell (PEMFCs, DMFCs and AMFCs) Applications: A Critical Review

Polymers ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 300
Author(s):  
Rajangam Vinodh ◽  
Raji Atchudan ◽  
Hee-Je Kim ◽  
Moonsuk Yi
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Ionic Conductivity ◽  
Direct Methanol Fuel Cells ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Metal Catalyst ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Electrolyte Membranes ◽  
Direct Methanol ◽  
Alkaline Membrane

In recent years, ion electrolyte membranes (IEMs) preparation and properties have attracted fabulous attention in fuel cell usages owing to its high ionic conductivity and chemical resistance. Currently, perfluorinatedsulfonicacid (PFSA) membrane has been widely employed in the membrane industry in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs); however, NafionTM suffers reduced proton conductivity at a higher temperature, requiring noble metal catalyst (Pt, Ru, and Pt-Ru), and catalyst poisoning by CO. Non-fluorinated polymers are a promising substitute. Polysulfone (PSU) is an aromatic polymer with excellent characteristics that have attracted membrane scientists in recent years. The present review provides an up-to-date development of PSU based electrolyte membranes and its composites for PEMFCs, alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFCs), and direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) application. Various fillers encapsulated in the PEM/AEM moiety are appraised according to their preliminary characteristics and their plausible outcome on PEMFC/DMFC/AMFC. The key issues associated with enhancing the ionic conductivity and chemical stability have been elucidated as well. Furthermore, this review addresses the current tasks, and forthcoming directions are briefly summarized of PEM/AEMs for PEMFCs, DMFCs, AMFCs.

scholarly journals Recent Progress in the Development of Composite Membranes Based on Polybenzimidazole for High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell Applications

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Escorihuela ◽  
Jessica Olvera-Mancilla ◽  
Larissa Alexandrova ◽  
L. Felipe del Castillo ◽  
Vicente Compañ
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Composite Membranes ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Pem Fuel Cells ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Exchange Membrane

The rapid increasing of the population in combination with the emergence of new energy-consuming technologies has risen worldwide total energy consumption towards unprecedent values. Furthermore, fossil fuel reserves are running out very quickly and the polluting greenhouse gases emitted during their utilization need to be reduced. In this scenario, a few alternative energy sources have been proposed and, among these, proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells are promising. Recently, polybenzimidazole-based polymers, featuring high chemical and thermal stability, in combination with fillers that can regulate the proton mobility, have attracted tremendous attention for their roles as PEMs in fuel cells. Recent advances in composite membranes based on polybenzimidazole (PBI) for high temperature PEM fuel cell applications are summarized and highlighted in this review. In addition, the challenges, future trends, and prospects of composite membranes based on PBI for solid electrolytes are also discussed.

scholarly journals Directly deposited Nafion/TiO2 composite membranes for high power medium temperature fuel cells

RSC Advances ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (29) ◽  
pp. 24261-24266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niklas Wehkamp ◽  
Matthias Breitwieser ◽  
Andreas Büchler ◽  
Matthias Klingele ◽  
Roland Zengerle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
High Power ◽  
Composite Membranes ◽  
Production Method ◽  
Medium Temperature ◽  
Operation Temperature ◽  
Simple Production

This work presents a simple production method for TiO2 reinforced Nafion® membranes which are stable up to a 120 °C operation temperature and achieve record breaking fuel cell efficiencies.

scholarly journals Advancement toward Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells at Elevated Temperatures

Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Zhang ◽  
David Aili ◽  
Shanfu Lu ◽  
Qingfeng Li ◽  
San Ping Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Composite Membranes ◽  
Proton Conductors ◽  
Fast Kinetics ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Base Polymer

Elevation of operational temperatures of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) has been demonstrated with phosphoric acid-doped polybenzimidazole (PA/PBI) membranes. The technical perspective of the technology is simplified construction and operation with possible integration with, e.g., methanol reformers. Toward this target, significant efforts have been made to develop acid-base polymer membranes, inorganic proton conductors, and organic-inorganic composite materials. This report is devoted to updating the recent progress of the development particularly of acid-doped PBI, phosphate-based solid inorganic proton conductors, and their composite electrolytes. Long-term stability of PBI membranes has been well documented, however, at typical temperatures of 160°C. Inorganic proton-conducting materials, e.g., alkali metal dihydrogen phosphates, heteropolyacids, tetravalent metal pyrophosphates, and phosphosilicates, exhibit significant proton conductivity at temperatures of up to 300°C but have so far found limited applications in the form of thin films. Composite membranes of PBI and phosphates, particularly in situ formed phosphosilicates in the polymer matrix, showed exceptionally stable conductivity at temperatures well above 200°C. Fuel cell tests at up to 260°C are reported operational with good tolerance of up to 16% CO in hydrogen, fast kinetics for direct methanol oxidation, and feasibility of nonprecious metal catalysts. The prospect and future exploration of new proton conductors based on phosphate immobilization and fuel cell technologies at temperatures above 200°C are discussed.

Improvement of Microbial Fuel Cell Performance by Using Nafion Polyaniline Composite Membranes as a Separator

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nader Mokhtarian ◽  
Mostafa Ghasemi ◽  
Wan Ramli Wan Daud ◽  
Manal Ismail ◽  
Ghasem Najafpour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cell ◽  
Power Density ◽  
Proton Conductivity ◽  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Composite Membranes ◽  
Infrared Analysis ◽  
Fuel Cell Performance ◽  
Fuel Cell Operation

The characteristics of four new proton-conducting membranes, Nafion112/polyaniline composite membranes of various compositions, are studied for application as membrane separators in microbial fuel cells. The composite membranes are made by immersing Nafion-112 membranes in a solution containing aniline for different immersion times. The presence of polyaniline and sulfonic functional groups in the composite membranes is confirmed by means of Fourier transform infrared analysis while their surface roughness is determined by using atomic force microscopy prior to microbial fuel cell operation. Biofouling on the membranes' surface is also examined by using a scanning electron microscope after microbial fuel cell operation. The polarization curves and, hence, the power density curves are measured by varying the load's resistance. The power density of the microbial fuel cell with the Nafion/polyaniline composite membranes improves significantly as the amount of polyaniline increases because the interaction between sulfonic groups in the Nafion matrix and polyaniline in the polyaniline domains increases proton conductivity. However, it declines after more polyaniline is added because of less conjugated bonding of polyaniline and sulfonic acid groups for larger polyaniline domains in the Nafion matrix. The voltage overpotential is also smaller as the amount of polyaniline increases. Biofouling also decreases with increasing polyaniline in the Nafion/polyaniline composite membranes because they have smoother surfaces than Nafion membranes. The results show that the maximum power generated by the microbial fuel cells with Nafion112-polyaniline composite membrane is 124.03 mV m−2 with a current density of 454.66 mA m−2, which is approximately more than ninefold higher than that of microbial fuel cells with neat Nafion-112. It can be concluded that the power density of the microbial fuel cell can be increased by modifying the Nafion membrane separators with more conductive polymers that are less susceptible to biofouling to improve its proton conductivity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document