Enhanced performance and durability of composite membranes containing anatase titanium oxide for fuel cells operating under low relative humidity

Abstract

In this work, sulfonated diblock copolymers (SDBCs) were prepared by polycondensation of sulfonated poly(ether-ether-ketone) (SPEEK) and hydrophobic oligomer, which were combined with sintered anatase titanium oxide (S-An-TiO 2 ) to create a hybrid membrane for apply in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) operating with low relative humidity (RH). Then, a series of composite membranes (SDBC/S-An-TiO 2 ) were prepared by varying the wt% of S-An-TiO 2 blended with SDBC. The results showed that appropriate quantity (ie, 15 wt%) of S-An-TiO 2 can significantly improve the proton conductivity and physiochemical properties of prepared composite membrane, as well as the PEMFC performance and durability under 20% RH. The 1.5 wt% of SDBC/ S-An-TiO 2 offers high current output, power output, and durability values at 60 C under 20% RH, which are 0.207 A cm À2 , 0.074 W cm À2 and over 90 hours, respectively. These results can be attributed to the good interfacial compatibility between S-An-TiO 2 and SDBC.

Reinforced Hydroxylated Boron Nitride on Porous Sulfonated Poly(ether sulfone) with Excellent Electrolyte Properties for H2/O2 Fuel Cells

“…As shown in Figure e,f, the water contact angle of the PSPES membrane was 77.20, which is higher than the PSPES-HBN2 membrane (46.10) due to the wide and interconnected hydrophilic domains that promote the water contact with the membrane. The introduced HBN sheets reduced the water contact angle of PSPES membranes significantly, indicating a more hydrophilic surface that contains more water-reactive polar OH groups than PSPES. − …”

High Proton Conductivity of the UiO-66-NH2-SPES Composite Membrane Prepared by Covalent Cross-Linking

“…Nowdays, the massive burning of fossil fuels causes a rapid rate of global energy consumption and increasingly serious environmental pollution problems, which promote the accelerated development of global renewable and clean energy . A proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a kind of battery with the greatest development potential to replace fossil fuels and produce renewable and clean energy, which can realize the conversion of hydrogen energy to electric energy. − …”

Sulfonated Poly(aryl sulfone)s Containing Ferrous and Ferric Ion Scavenger 1H-Imidazo[4,5-F][1,10]-phenanthroline Groups for Highly Durable Proton Exchange Membranes

“…This is usually the main factor in determining the overall durability of the PEM . To address this issue, several strategies have been proposed, which include introducing catalysts to decompose H 2 O 2 , − • OH radical quenchers to avoid the formation of high oxidative species, − and inorganic/polymer composites to reinforce the stability of membranes. − However, these solutions not only cannot fundamentally solve the membrane chemical degradation problem of nonprecious metal catalyst fuel cells but also lead to the other issue of membrane proton conductivity reduction. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a membrane chemical stabilization strategy for fuel cells.…”