Biopolymer membranes in fuel cell applications

Walkowiak-Kulikowska, Justyna; Wolska, Joanna; Koroniak, Henryk

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-818134-8.00018-3

Cited by 14 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 241 publications

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“…One widely investigated route to mitigating the crossover of methanol in DMFCs is mixed matrix membranes where polymers are infused with inorganic fillers that are decorated with sulfonate or hydroxyl functional groups [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Despite the advantageous features of Nafion, there is increasing demand that emerges from the growing number of publications on substituting Nafion with natural polymers owing to their attractive characteristics [ 23 ]. The cost of production of natural polymers is notably lower than synthetic polymers on account of their availability in nature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proton Conductive, Low Methanol Crossover Cellulose-Based Membranes

2021

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This work describes the development of sulfated cellulose (SC) polymer and explores its potential as an electrolyte-membrane for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). The fabrication of our membranes was initiated by the preparation of the novel sulfated cellulose solution via controlled acid hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). Ion-conductive crosslinked SC membranes were prepared following a chemical crosslinking reaction. SC solution was chemically crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA) and cured at 30 °C to produce the aforementioned membranes. Effects of GA concentration on methanol permeability, proton conductivity, water uptake and thermal stabilities were investigated. The crosslinking reaction is confirmed by FTIR technique where a bond between the primary OH groups of cellulose and the GA aldehyde groups was achieved, leading to the increased hydrophobic backbone domains in the membrane. The results show that the time of crosslinking reaction highly affects the proton conduction and methanol permeability. The proton conductivity and methanol crossover (3M) of our GA crosslinked SC membranes are 3.7 × 10−2 mS cm−1 and 8.2 × 10−9 cm2 s−1, respectively. Crosslinked sulfated cellulose films have lower ion conductivity than the state-of-the-art Nafion (10.2 mS cm−1); however, the methanol crossover is three orders of magnitude lower than Nafion membranes (1.0 × 10−5 cm2 s−1 at 1 M). Such biofilms with high methanol resistivity address the major hurdle that prevents the widespread applications of direct alcohol fuel cells.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proton Conductive, Low Methanol Crossover Cellulose-Based Membranes

2021

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“…The aromatic rings in the structure can be substituted with functional groups (e.g. –SO 3 H) for enabling the selective permeability of protons 1–5 . This tunable functionalization helps in proton conduction which is an essential property for the membranes/separators used in energy conversion devices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This tunable functionalization helps in proton conduction which is an essential property for the membranes/separators used in energy conversion devices. Hence, the PAEKs provide a wide range of materials for different energy conversion devices and the most promising application is in fuel cells 5 . Although Nafion™ membrane is commercially available, its widespread use is limited by high temperature instability, a water‐dependent conduction mechanism and high cost 6 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1; among these, PEEK in the sulfonated form is the widely used material in fuel cells. On the one hand, the sulfonation facilitates proton conduction and, on the other hand, a higher degree of sulfonation (DS) results in excessive membrane swelling, a decrease in mechanical strength and most importantly the susceptibility to radical attack and degradation 5,20–22 . To overcome some of the inherent limitations of the PAEK material and to enhance its properties, several methodologies have been adopted over the decades; some of them include blending with other polymers, tweaking fabrication methods, addition of nanomaterials, functionalization etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Polyaryletherketone in energy conversion and storage devices – a highly tailorable material with versatile properties

Saleha

Nalajala

Neergat

2021

Polymer International

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Polymers have been a highly useful class of material for the last few decades owing to their ease of bulk production and fabrication. With the myriad of applications in day to day life, they have also found an important role in energy conversion and storage devices, not just as a housing material of the device but with an important role in the energy conversion process. Among the several polymers used in this area, polyaryletherketones (PAEKs) are one of the most versatile materials owing to their easy tailorability. The ether and ketone groups can be introduced in the main polymer chain in several ways to achieve the desired material properties. The main role of a polymer in an energy conversion device is that of a barrier to avoid the mixing of reactants and to selectively transport ions from one electrode to the other to maintain charge neutrality. The polymer membrane finds application in various electrochemical energy conversion devices such as fuel cells, lithium ion batteries, redox flow batteries, supercapacitors etc. The main focus of this work is to briefly review the extent of development in the PAEKs in various energy conversion and storage devices. © 2021 Society of Industrial Chemistry.

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“…Fuel cells and redox flow batteries are electrochemical power sources where redox reactions take place at their electrodes as reactants flow separated by an ion conducting membrane. This electrolyte separator allows a selective transport of protons from anode to cathode and acts as an electron insulator material . The membrane is usually made from an ionomeric polymer, which must fulfill the following properties: i) high proton mobility, ii) reactant separation of the two half‐cells, iii) low permeability to the redox reagents involved, i.e., avoid crossover, iv) adequate mechanical properties, allowing to obtain a membrane thickness of 10–250 µm, v) long lifetime, vi) low cost, and viii) the capability of fabrication into electrode/membrane/electrode assemblies .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biopolymer Electrolyte Membranes (BioPEMs) for Sustainable Primary Redox Batteries

Alday

Barros

Alves

et al. 2019

Advanced Sustainable Systems

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The proliferation of portable electronic devices has resulted in an increase of e‐waste that is generated after their use. One of the most hazardous components in e‐waste are batteries, due to their content of heavy metals and toxic chemicals. Fuel cells and redox flow batteries have been recognized as more sustainable alternatives to Li‐based batteries for powering portable applications. Although they provide comparable energy and power densities, they still face some challenges because they rely on proton exchange membranes based on nonenvironmentally friendly, high‐priced perfluorosulfonic acid copolymers that require energy‐intense manufacturing and recycling procedures. In this work, eco‐friendly and sustainable biopolymer electrolyte membranes (BioPEMs) are synthesized from biopolymers like chitosan, cellulose, and starch. These BioPEMs bring forth advantages in performance, sustainability, and cost. Additionally, they present good chemical and mechanical stability, high ionic conductivity in the same order of magnitude as Nafion membranes. Two alternatives of cellulose–chitosan based BioPEMs are successfully applied into primary redox batteries using benign eco‐friendly redox chemistries, delivering open circuit voltages above 0.75 V and power output up to 2.5 mW cm−2. These results demonstrate BioPEMs capability to improve biodegradable batteries in sectors requiring a transient electrical energy, such as environmental monitoring, agriculture, or packaging.

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Biopolymer membranes in fuel cell applications

Cited by 14 publications

References 241 publications

Proton Conductive, Low Methanol Crossover Cellulose-Based Membranes

Proton Conductive, Low Methanol Crossover Cellulose-Based Membranes

Polyaryletherketone in energy conversion and storage devices – a highly tailorable material with versatile properties

Biopolymer Electrolyte Membranes (BioPEMs) for Sustainable Primary Redox Batteries

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