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Facile enhancement in proton conductivity of sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) using functionalized graphene oxide—synthesis, characterization, and application towards proton exchange membrane fuel cells

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Abstract

A SO3H-functionalized graphene oxide-incorporated sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (S-GO/SPEEK) composite membrane was fabricated via the solution casting method, and the performance of the prepared membrane toward proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) electricity generation was evaluated. Infrared spectroscopic measurements revealed the presence of sulfonic acid, hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups in the composite membrane. The distribution of sulfonated graphene oxide (S-GO) throughout the SPEEK matrix has been examined using FE-SEM and found to be uniform. The ionic conductivity and thermal stability of the SPEEK have been greatly increased with the incorporation of the S-GO fillers, owing to the generation of extended proton conducting highways and strong interfacial interactions. S-GO effectively binds with ring structures and SO3H groups of SPEEK through П–П stacking and hydrogen bonding, respectively, which leads to good mechanical integrity and prevents the swelling of the membranes even in an aqueous environment. Besides, SO3H groups in S-GO assist to increase the functional group intensity in the composite, leading to extended water retention and proton conducting properties. The S-GO/SPEEK membrane exhibited a maximum power density of 0.485 W m−2, which is 1.08 and 1.17-fold higher than that of GO/SPEEK (0.445 W m−2) and SPEEK (0.414 W m−2), respectively.

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Acknowledgments

This paper was supported by research funds of Chonbuk National University in 2015. The work was supported by the Human Resources Development program (No. 20134030200330) of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) grant funded by the Korea government Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. This research was also supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the NRF funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2011-0010538).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School, Department of Energy Storage/Conversion Engineering, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research Center, Chonbuk National University, Jeollabuk-do, 561-756, Republic of Korea

    Mohanraj Vinothkannan, Kee Suk Nahm & Dong Jin Yoo

  2. R&D Education Center for Specialized Graduate School of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Jeollabuk-do, 561-756, Republic of Korea

    Ramanujam Kannan, Kee Suk Nahm & Dong Jin Yoo

  3. Department of Chemistry, Kunsan National University, Gunsan, Jeollbuk-do, 573-701, Republic of Korea

    Ae Rhan Kim

  4. Department of Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamilnadu, 625021, India

    Georgepeter Gnana Kumar

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  1. Mohanraj Vinothkannan
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  2. Ramanujam Kannan
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Correspondence to Dong Jin Yoo.

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Highlights

(i) Sulfonated graphene oxide (S-GO) exploited as filler for SPEEK membrane.

(ii) Improved interfacial interactions between SPEEK and GO through the SO3H groups.

(iii) S-GO sheets find good dispersion throughout the SPEEK matrix.

(iv) Extra proton conduction sites and well-connected channels were introduced in SPEEK by S-GO.

(v) The maximum power density of 0.485 W m−2 was achieved at 90 °C under 100 % RH.

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Vinothkannan, M., Kannan, R., Kim, A.R. et al. Facile enhancement in proton conductivity of sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) using functionalized graphene oxide—synthesis, characterization, and application towards proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Colloid Polym Sci 294, 1197–1207 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-016-3877-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-016-3877-8

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