Preparation and Characterization of Nafion-Zirconia Composite Membrane for PEMFC

Abstract

Polymer electrolyte membrane based on Nafion and zirconium oxide (ZrO2) was developed via film casting method. The content of ZrO2 (1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 wt.%) was incorporated with Nafion solution to prepare Nafion-ZrO2 composite membranes. Recast Nafion membrane was used as reference material. All of the prepared membranes have been subjected to both physical and chemical characterizations such as Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, water uptake rate (WUR) and conductivity measurements. The Nafion-ZrO2 composite membranes were found to possess high thermal stability (Tg= 188 - 192°C) and conductivity (0.30 – 0.93 S cm-1). This study demonstrates the possibility of developing Nafion-ZrO2 composite membrane as promising polymer electrolyte membrane for fuel cell operated at medium temperature and low humidity.

Metal–organic framework for high-performance catalyst layers in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells

“…For example, composite membranes containing hydrophilic inorganic particles or organic materials have been investigated. [11][12][13][14][15] Also, controlling the regularity of cracks within membranes at the nanoscale level has been suggested 16 in order to increase the humidity level of MEAs. However, the uneven dispersion of hydrophilic particles can increase the ohmic resistance of the cell by limiting the mobility of polymer chains.…”

Polymer Electrolyte Membranes Containing Functionalized Organic/Inorganic Composite for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Applications

“…The incorporation of carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, and graphene oxides (GOs) has also been reported as a means of creating alternative composites to improve the physicochemical and thermal stability of their corresponding polymer matrix membranes [23][24][25][26][27][28]. Furthermore, composite membranes using inorganic composites including silica (SiO 2 ), titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), cerium dioxide (CeO 2 ), zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2 ), and montmorillonite (MMT) into the polymer matrix have been also reported to increase the water absorption and retention behavior, as well as physical stability of the pure polymer matrix membranes [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38].…”