Nafion® reinforced with polyacrylonitrile/ZrO₂ nanofibers for direct methanol fuel cell application

Abstract

Nafion ® membrane blended with polyacrylonitrile nanofibers decorated with ZrO 2 was successfully fabricated. The composite membrane showed improved proton conductivity, swelling ratio, thermal and mechanical stability, reduced methanol crossover, and enhanced fuel cell efficiency. The nanocomposite membranes achieved a reduced methanol crossover of 5.465 × 10 −8 cm 2 S −1 compared to 9.118 × 10 −7 cm 2 S −1 of recast Nafion ® membrane using a 5 M methanol solution at 80 C. The composite membrane also showed an ion conductivity of 1.84 compared to 0.25 S cm −1 recast Nafion ® at 25 C. The composite membranes showed a peak power density of 68.7 mWÁcm −2 at 25 C, these results show a promising composite membrane for fuel cell application.

Quarternized polysulfone/ZSM‐5 zeolite composite anion exchange membrane separators for aluminum‐air battery

“…The alkaline stability of the membranes was determined by soaking the membrane in an alkaline solution then determining the IC every 24 h for 7 days. [30][31][32]…”

A State-of-Art on the Development of Nafion-Based Membrane for Performance Improvement in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

“…To demonstrate the use of polyacrylonitrile in Nafion, Sigwadi et al described a Nafion membrane reinforced with a blend of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and zirconia oxide (ZrO 2 ) [ 68 ]. Due to the enhanced water uptake but the decreased swelling ratio in the presence of PAN, a higher proton conductivity was achieved in parallel with the lower methanol permeation, which contributes to the increase in selectivity ratio.…”

“…Considering that proton transfer in Nafion is still a challenge during high-temperature operation, it has been reported that the addition of hygroscopic inorganic oxides to Nafion can help maintain the relative humidity of the membrane, which can facilitate proton transport during fuel cell operation at high temperature [ 72 ]. Due to their high porosity, they are able to increase water retention in the membrane while also acting as Lewis acid sites to absorb more water [ 68 ]. Inorganic oxides also offer convincing mechanical properties to the membrane structure through the interaction between organic-inorganic components.…”

A comparative study on sPEEK‐based composite membranes with various inorganic fillers using different preparation routes for DMFCs

“…In the work of Msomi et al, Nafion-Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/ZrO 2 nanofiber membrane samples were prepared using the recasting method and these membranes exhibited higher σ and also a better selectivity (σ/P M ). 5 In one of the latest studies of Kamarudin et al, the eggshell powder was used firstly as a calcium carbonate source to prepare Nafion/eggshell composite membrane. The composite membrane including 3% eggshell powder in weight had a proton conductivity of 0.24 S cm À1 and methanol permeability of 8.4 Â 10 À7 cm 2 s À1 .…”

“…That is why many studies devoted to the growth of polymer‐based membranes with high methanol barrier properties and adequate proton conductivity using different approaches involving Nafion modification or new membrane designing. In the work of Msomi et al, Nafion‐Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/ZrO 2 nanofiber membrane samples were prepared using the recasting method and these membranes exhibited higher σ and also a better selectivity ( σ / P M ) 5 . In one of the latest studies of Kamarudin et al, the eggshell powder was used firstly as a calcium carbonate source to prepare Nafion/eggshell composite membrane.…”