Preparation and Characterization of Alkaline Anion Exchange Membrane for Fuel Cells Application

Alkaline anion exchange membrane (AAEM) plays an important role in the development of fuel cell. In this research, the electrostatic spinning technology was used to prepare AAEM. We use BC/TiO2 membrane as substrate by introduced quaternary ammonium groups to prepare BC/TiO2/CHPTAC (3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride) composite membranes. The as-prepared composite membrane was characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS, and TG methods. It was found that BC/TiO2/CHPTAC (0.05 g) membrane exhibited high thermal stability and better comprehensive performance. The degree of substitution (DS), water uptake, and ion-exchange capacity (IEC) of BC/TiO2/CHPTAC membranes were investigated. The results showed that the DS, water uptake, and IEC of BC/TiO2/CHPTAC membrane were 1.16, 140%, and 1 mmol·g−1, respectively. We believe this composite membrane with excellent performances can promise many applications in fuel cells.