Facile synthesis of nafion based self-healable proton exchange membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

Ng, Wei Wuen; Thiam, Hui San; Pang, Yean Ling; Lim, Yun Seng; Wong, Jianhui

doi:10.1016/j.matpr.2023.01.407

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…We summarized the details of representative works regarding self-healing membranes in Table S1. The majority of reported self-healing membranes are focused on direct methanol fuel cells or nonenergy areas. ,− These works are an excellent guide for our work, although the working conditions of these works are different from PEMFCs. On the other hand, the healing efficiency of the reported membranes is not high, for example, several hours are required to heal the damages .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most reported self-healing ability of membranes originates from hydrogen bonds. ,,,, To enhance the self-healing efficiency, the strong dipole–dipole interaction of −CF 3 groups is particularly introduced by using the hexafluorobutyl acrylate (HFBA), a kind of all-dipole fluorine elastomer, as a self-healing polymer. − One of the benefits of employing HFBA is that both HFBA and PFSA have −CF 3 groups, likely promoting a self-healing performance once they are blended. However, the blended HFBA/PFSA membrane is soft and pretty weak in mechanical strength, probably because the HFBA chain is soft .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydrogen Bond and Dipole–Dipole Interaction Enabling Ultrastable, Quick Responding, and Self-Healing Proton Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cells

Mo,

Li,

Chen

et al. 2024

ACS Omega

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Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are subject to mechanical degradation, such as microcracks and pinhole formation, under real-world fuel cell operating conditions, which leads to great issues in terms of device death and safety concerns. Therefore, PEMs with self-healing features are imperative but have rarely been used for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Here, a dimensionally stable and self-healing PEM is developed by tuning the hydrogen bond and dipole−dipole interactions between the mature perfluorinated sulfonic acid (PFSA) and a self-healing copolymer, which is specifically synthesized with hexafluorobutyl acrylate (HFBA) and acrylic acid (AA). This hexafluorobutyl acrylate-acrylic acid copolymer (HFBA-co-AA) is suggested as the key to improving the self-healing efficiency of the blended PFSA/HFBA-co-AA membrane. This PFSA/HFBA-co-AA membrane can recover 43.6% of the original tensile strength within only 20 min at 80 °C. This study may pave an avenue toward the development of reliable and durable PEM for fuel cells.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogen Bond and Dipole–Dipole Interaction Enabling Ultrastable, Quick Responding, and Self-Healing Proton Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cells

Mo,

Li,

Chen

et al. 2024

ACS Omega

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“…The exceptional self-healing capability of the membrane was traced to its highly mobile polymer chains and the reversible hydrogen-bonding interactions between Nafion and CBA-modified PVA. The mechanical characteristics and proton conductivity were also enhanced in the composite membrane In another study, Ng, W. W. et al constructed a self-healable PEM made of Nafion and PVA using a simple freezing–thawing method to incorporate physical crosslinking into the membrane matrix [ 32 ]. In addition to its excellent self-repair capability, the blend membrane showed a 40.33% reduction in methanol permeability compared to the recast Nafion membrane.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Healing Sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone)-Based Polymer Electrolyte Membrane for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells: Effect of Solvent Content

Tai,

Thiam,

Tee

et al. 2023

Polymers

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Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) with superior characteristics are needed to advance fuel cell technology. Nafion, the most used PEM in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), has excellent proton conductivity but suffers from high methanol permeability and long-term performance degradation. Thus, this study aimed to create a healable PEM with improved durability and methanol barrier properties by combining sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA). The effect of changing the N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) solvent concentration during membrane casting was investigated. Lower DMAc concentrations improved water absorption and, thus, membrane proton conductivity, but methanol permeability increased correspondingly. For the best trade-off between these two characteristics, the blend membrane with a 10 wt% DMAc solvent (SP10) exhibited the highest selectivity. SP10 also showed a remarkable self-healing capacity by regaining 88% of its pre-damage methanol-blocking efficiency. The ability to self-heal decreased with the increasing solvent concentration because of the increased crosslinking density and structure compactness, which reduced chain mobility. Optimizing the solvent concentration during membrane preparation is therefore an important factor in improving membrane performance in DMFCs. With its exceptional methanol barrier and self-healing characteristics, the pioneering SPEEK/PVA blend membrane may contribute to efficient and durable fuel cell systems.

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“…The most commercialized PEM is the perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymer (PFSA), of which the most widely used is the Nafion membranes. Although Nafion membranes have better physicochemical properties, [4][5][6][7][8] they have inherent drawbacks such as high cost, complex manufacturing processes, and limited use temperature. Therefore, researchers have turned their attention to nonfluorinated polymer membranes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced proton conductivity of SPEEK membranes by constructing hydrogen bond network through doping ionic liquid and graphene oxide

Lv,

Qu,

Sun

et al. 2023

Polymer Composites

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So as to improve proton conductivity at medium temperatures while reducing the loss of ionic liquids (ILs), this article fabricated a series of hybrid membranes with sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) as their base material, 1‐allyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride ([AMIM][Cl]) as their primary proton conductor, and graphene oxide (GO) as their filler. The characterization results showed that the –SO3H groups of SPEEK formed acid–base pairs with the imidazole ring of [AMIM][Cl] at the interface where electrostatic attraction inhibited the main‐chain migration of the SPEEK. At the same time, the large hydrogen bond network formed between [AMIM][Cl], GO and SPEEK provided more jump sites for proton transfer. Proton conduction of the prepared membranes was enhanced by way of low potential energy barriers. At 120°C, SPEEK/IL/GO‐2% exhibited a proton conductivity of 21.35 mS/cm, and the IL loss rate was 20.17%. The characterization results demonstrated that the prepared SPEEK/IL/GO composite membranes had excellent physicochemical properties, dimensional stability, high proton conductivity, and low IL loss, which were expected to be used in practical conditions at medium temperature.Highlights Large hydrogen bonding network provides additional proton hopping sites. Physical cross‐linking limits the leaching of ionic liquid. SPEEK/IL/GO‐2% membrane achieves a conductivity of 21.35 mS/cm at 120°C.

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Facile synthesis of nafion based self-healable proton exchange membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

Cited by 7 publications

References 26 publications

Hydrogen Bond and Dipole–Dipole Interaction Enabling Ultrastable, Quick Responding, and Self-Healing Proton Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cells

Hydrogen Bond and Dipole–Dipole Interaction Enabling Ultrastable, Quick Responding, and Self-Healing Proton Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cells

Self-Healing Sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone)-Based Polymer Electrolyte Membrane for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells: Effect of Solvent Content

Enhanced proton conductivity of SPEEK membranes by constructing hydrogen bond network through doping ionic liquid and graphene oxide

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