Conductivity of composite membrane-based poly(ether-ether-ketone) sulfonated (SPEEK) nanofiber mats of varying thickness

Abstract

Nanofiber mats of SPEEK 70wt% -PVB 30 wt% (polyvinyl butyral)-based composite membranes were prepared by varying the electrospinning time in order to obtain mats with different thicknesses. These mats were embedded in SPEEK 65wt% -PVA 35wt% (polyvinyl alcohol) polymer solution to fill the pores in the fibers. The obtained membranes with different mat thicknesses have been characterized by water uptake, ionic exchange capacity, scanning electron microscopy, mechanical properties and proton conductivity.Microtensile test studies reveal that the maximum tensile strength increases as the thickness of the SPEEK-PVB nanofiber mats increases, resulting in more flexible composite membranes compared to a pure SPEEK-PVA membrane obtained by casting. The proton conductivity occurs more easily through the nanofiber than through the matrix phase, and the best conductivity (0.038 S cm À1) was measured at 120 C for the composite membrane of SPEEK-PVB nanofiber mats obtained after 12 hours of electrospinning time. This value suggests that our composite membranes have high potential to function in the temperature range between 100 and 140 C without losing their strength and while maintaining their high proton conductivity, making them an excellent candidate for fuel cells that operate at intermediate temperatures.

Crosslinked Sulfonated Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Graphene Oxide Electrospun Nanofibers as Polyelectrolytes

“…Many materials have been considered for the production of nanofibrous polyelectrolytes, such as polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) [9], polystyrene (PS) [10], polysulfone (PSU) [11], sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) (SPES) [1], sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (sPEEK) [12], poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) [13], and sulfonated polyimide (PI) [14]. Among them, the use of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) [15,16,17] has been considered as an economically feasible alternative with promising results in terms of cost, versatility, processability, and capability of functionalization [18].…”

Proton conducting electrospun sulfonated polyether ether ketone graphene oxide composite membranes

“…The fabrication of SPEEK/PVB nanobers was performed by using the electrospinning method as described in previous reports. 47 The polymer solution (20 wt% SPEEK 70 -PVB 30 in DMAc) was injected with a syringe pump with a ow rate of 0.2 ml h À1 to the tip of a steel capillary, which was separated by 18 cm from the rotating drum collector (1200 rpm). A potential difference of 20 kV was applied between both electrodes.…”

Fabrication of Binary Sulfonated Poly Ether Sulfone and Sulfonated Polyvinylidene Fluoride‐Co‐Hexafluoro Propylene Blend Membrane as Efficient Electrolyte for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

“…9,10 Nafion is a standard PEM and is being widely used in PEMFCs because of its elevated proton conductivity and oxidative and thermal stabilities. [12][13][14] Various efforts are being thrived to developing alternative membranes. [12][13][14] Various efforts are being thrived to developing alternative membranes.…”

“…Nafion is a standard PEM and is being widely used in PEMFCs because of its elevated proton conductivity and oxidative and thermal stabilities . But, high price and limited operating temperature (0 to 80°C) still hampered the wide utilization of Nafion membranes . Various efforts are being thrived to developing alternative membranes.…”