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Sulfonated poly(fluorene ether ketone) (SPFEK)/α-zirconium phosphate (ZrP) nanocomposite membranes for fuel cell applications

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Abstract

Methanol crossover through polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) is a major concern in fuel cell research. In order to address this problem, a sulfonated poly(fluorenyl ether ketone) (SPFEK)/α-zirconium phosphate (ZrP) nanocomposite membrane containing 2.0 wt. % of ZrP nanosheets was prepared by casting a dimethylacetamide (DMAc) dispersion containing SPFEK and exfoliated ZrP nanosheets. The membrane was characterized and tested as a PEM in a single direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) at 80 °C. The introduction of ZrP nanosheets improved the oxidative stability and reduced methanol permeability and water uptake of the PEM. The SPFEK/ZrP nanocomposite membrane led to the best cell performance among the single cells using SPFEK/ZrP nanocomposite membrane, SPFEK, and Nafion® 117. The maximum power densities obtained for the cells composed of the above three membranes were 51.3, 41.4, and 43.6 mW/cm2, respectively.

Sulfonated poly(fluorenyl ether ketone)/α-zirconium phosphate nanocomposite was synthesized as a high performance membrane for direct methanol fuel cells.

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Acknowledgment

We are grateful to Dr. Abraham Clearfield at Texas A&M University for valuable discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry and Materials Science & Fujian Key Laboratory of Polymer Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, Fujian, China

    Fuchuan Ding

  2. Polymer Program, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, 06269, USA

    Fuchuan Ding, Hao Ding, Jingjing Liu, Yong Chen & Luyi Sun

  3. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, 06269, USA

    Fuchuan Ding, Hao Ding, Jingjing Liu & Luyi Sun

  4. College Materials & Energy, South China Agriculture University, Guangzhou, 510642, China

    Hang Hu

  5. College of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China

    Yong Chen

  6. The Key Laboratory of Low-carbon Chemistry & Energy Conservation of Guangdong Province, State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China

    Min Xiao & Yuezhong Meng

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  1. Fuchuan Ding
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Ding, F., Hu, H., Ding, H. et al. Sulfonated poly(fluorene ether ketone) (SPFEK)/α-zirconium phosphate (ZrP) nanocomposite membranes for fuel cell applications. Adv Compos Hybrid Mater 3, 546–550 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42114-020-00184-y

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