Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
11004181 | Composites Part B: Engineering | 2018 | 37 Pages |
Abstract
The organic/inorganic hybrid membranes consisting of different concentrations of phosphotungstic acid (PWA) in sulfonated poly ether sulfone (SPES) were constructed for the usage as electrolyte in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The repulsion applied between the hydrophilic moieties of host and guest components resulted in the porosity of prepared composite membranes. The as-made membranes demonstrated the prompt thermal stability and validated its applications in elevated temperature operation of PEMFCs. When the concentration of PWA was increased to 30â¯wt% in sulfonated polyether sulfone, the ionic conductivity of the corresponding membrane was increased to 19â¯mS/cm at room temperature, presumably due to the inherent conductivity of the PWA molecules and the enhanced acidity of sulfonic acid groups in the membranes. The SPES/PWA composite membrane (IEC 1.74 meq/g) comprising 30â¯wt% of PWA exhibited a maximum ionic conductivity of 116â¯mS/cm at 90â¯Â°C under 100% relative humidity (RH). The as-made SPES/PWA-30 composite membrane exhibited the maximum PEMFC power density of 305â¯mW/cm2, which validated its potential applications in PEMFCs.
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Authors
Ae Rhan Kim, Chul Jin Park, Mohanraj Vinothkannan, Dong Jin Yoo,