Composite Nafion Membranes with CaTiO3−δ Additive for Possible Applications in Electrochemical Devices

Mazzapioda, Lucia; Navarra, Maria Assunta; Trequattrini, F.; Paolone, A.; Elamin, Khalid; Martinelli, Anna; Palumbo, O.

doi:10.3390/membranes9110143

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The synthesis of non-stoichiometric calcium titanate was carried out using a hydrothermal procedure followed by a calcination treatment, where Pluronic F127 was used as both structure-directing component and reducing agent to allow the formation of oxygen vacancies. This synthesis was carried out according to the details reported in our previous works [37,49].…”

Section: Synthesis Of Catio 3-δmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance Improvement in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells by Using CaTiO3-δ Additive at the Cathode

et al. 2019

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A non-stoichiometric calcium titanate CaTiO3-δ (CTO) was synthesized and used as oxygen reduction reaction co-catalyst (together with Pt/C) in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). A membrane-electrode assembly (MEA), equipped with a composite cathode formulation (Pt/C:CTO1:1), was investigated in DMFC, using a 2 M methanol solution at the anode and oxygen at the cathode, and compared with an MEA equipped with a benchmark Pt/C cathode catalyst. It appears that the presence of the CTO additive promotes the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to the presence of oxygen vacancies as available active sites for oxygen adsorption in the lattice. The increase in power density obtained with the CTO-based electrode, compared with the benchmark Pt/C, was more than 40% at 90 °C, reaching a maximum power density close to 120 mW cm−2, which is one of the highest values reported in the literature under similar operating conditions.

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Section: Synthesis Of Catio 3-δmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance Improvement in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells by Using CaTiO3-δ Additive at the Cathode

et al. 2019

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“…values obtained by weight. Anyhow, our previous results based on calorimetric measurements and dielectric spectroscopy [ 19 ] revealed that M5 sample has displayed the highest water affinity and conductivity, suggesting that an intermediate filler concentration (i.e., 5 wt.%) could be the best compromise. It can be assumed that the presence of oxygen vacancies in the perovskite structure guarantees the water trapping but a high dose of CTO (i.e., 10 wt.%) in the Nafion matrix can cause a lack of relative interactions between the polymer, additive and water to ensure the mobility of the protons.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A non-stoichiometric calcium titanate (CaTiO 3-δ , CTO) perovskite was prepared by a solvo-thermal procedure as reported in our previous papers [ 19 , 20 ], using a Pluronic F127 both as a structure directing agent and as a reducing component to obtain oxygen vacancies in the lattice of the perovskite. This procedure results in an orthorhombic CaTiO 3-δ perovskitewith an average crystallite size of about 145 nm.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a previous work, we have used a calcium titanate perovskite (CaTiO 3−δ , CTO) as a water-retention and reinforcing additive in low-humidity Nafion membranes obtaining, for the composite sample with a low concentration of filler, an improved protonic conductivity [ 19 ]. With the aim to better understand the behavior of the additive in the composite Nafion membranes, the present work is focused on new results obtained from measurements of water uptake, methanol crossover, and ion exchange capacity, as well as from small- and wide-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS), vibrational spectroscopy (Raman and infrared), and high resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (HR-FESEM).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Composite Nafion-CaTiO3-δ Membranes as Electrolyte Component for PEM Fuel Cells

et al. 2020

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Manufacturing new electrolytes with high ionic conductivity has been a crucial challenge in the development and large-scale distribution of fuel cell devices. In this work, we present two Nafion composite membranes containing a non-stoichiometric calcium titanate perovskite (CaTiO3−δ) as a filler. These membranes are proposed as a proton exchange electrolyte for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell devices. More precisely, two different perovskite concentrations of 5 wt% and 10 wt%, with respect to Nafion, are considered. The structural, morphological, and chemical properties of the composite membranes are studied, revealing an inhomogeneous distribution of the filler within the polymer matrix. Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) tests, at 110 °C and 2 M methanol concentration, were also performed. It was observed that the membrane containing 5 wt% of the additive allows the highest cell performance in comparison to the other samples, with a maximum power density of about 70 mW cm−2 at 200 mA cm−2. Consequently, the ability of the perovskite structure to support proton carriers is here confirmed, suggesting an interesting strategy to obtain successful materials for electrochemical devices.

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“…Baglio et al [212] and Antonucci et al [213] focused their work on Nafion-TiO 2 and Nafion-SiO 2 respectively, to allow efficient operation at high temperature, above 100 • C. Both works claimed that the high temperature operating conditions were allowed by the better water retention and more uniform distribution of water across the composite membrane due to the presence of inorganic hygroscopic fillers inside the polymeric matrix. This resulted in reduced ohmic resistance and therefore better electrolyser performance [214]. The performance of composite membranes was better than that of Nafion membrane under high temperature and high pressure so the application of this technology is very promising especially when high electrical efficiency is required.…”

Section: Composite Membranes For Electrolysersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Composite Polymers Development and Application for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Technologies—A Review

et al. 2020

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Nafion membranes are still the dominating material used in the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) technologies. They are widely used in several applications thanks to their excellent properties: high proton conductivity and high chemical stability in both oxidation and reduction environment. However, they have several technical challenges: reactants permeability, which results in reduced performance, dependence on water content to perform preventing the operation at higher temperatures or low humidity levels, and chemical degradation. This paper reviews novel composite membranes that have been developed for PEM applications, including direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), hydrogen PEM fuel cells (PEMFCs), and water electrolysers (PEMWEs), aiming at overcoming the drawbacks of the commercial Nafion membranes. It provides a broad overview of the Nafion-based membranes, with organic and inorganic fillers, and non-fluorinated membranes available in the literature for which various main properties (proton conductivity, crossover, maximum power density, and thermal stability) are reported. The studies on composite membranes demonstrate that they are suitable for PEM applications and can potentially compete with Nafion membranes in terms of performance and lifetime.

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Composite Nafion Membranes with CaTiO3−δ Additive for Possible Applications in Electrochemical Devices

Cited by 12 publications

References 34 publications

Performance Improvement in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells by Using CaTiO3-δ Additive at the Cathode

Performance Improvement in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells by Using CaTiO3-δ Additive at the Cathode

Composite Nafion-CaTiO3-δ Membranes as Electrolyte Component for PEM Fuel Cells

Composite Polymers Development and Application for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Technologies—A Review

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