Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)-functionalised silica composite membranes for applications in proton exchange membrane fuel cells
by Vijay Shankar Rangasamy; Savitha Thayumanasundaram; Jean-Pierre Locquet; Niels De Greef; Jin Won Seo
International Journal of Nanotechnology (IJNT), Vol. 11, No. 9/10/11, 2014

Abstract: Sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and its composites are explored as potential alternatives for Nafion in fuel cell applications. In this work, we investigate the effects of the silica functionalisation route on the thermal, mechanical and structural properties of SPEEK-Silica composite membranes. We compare two different methods - direct sulfonation and co-condensation (sol-gel) - to add sulfonic acid groups to silica nanoparticles, which are used as fillers in SPEEK membranes. The degree of sulfonation (DS) of the cast membranes determined by ¹H NMR ranged from 40% to 86%. TGA-DSC measurement shows higher desulfonation temperatures for the composite membranes, indicating better thermal stability compared to pure SPEEK membranes. DMA results show that the sol-gel membranes are mechanically more stable with a wider operational temperature range than the directly sulfonated and pristine SPEEK membranes. Water uptake of the membranes increases with silica content, indicating the formation of additional water-mediated pathways for proton conduction.

Online publication date: Wed, 14-Jan-2015

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Nanotechnology (IJNT):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com