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Nanocomposite membranes based on perfluorosulfonic acid/ceramic for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

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Abstract

Perfluorosulfonic acid/ceramic nanocomposite membranes were investigated as electrolytes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell applications under low relative humidity. Different nanosized ceramics (SiO2, ZrO2, TiO2) with diameters in the range of 2-6 nm were synthesized in situ in Nafion solution through a sol-gel process and the formed nanosized ceramics were well-dispersed in the solution. The nanocomposite membranes were formed through a casting process. The nanocomposite membrane showes enhanced water retention ability and improved proton conductivity compared to those of pure Nafion membrane. The mechanical strength of the formed nanocomposite membranes is slightly less than that of pure Nafion membrane. The experimental results demonstrate that the polymer ceramic nanocompsite membranes are potential electrolyte for fuel cells operating at elevated temperature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Science, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Qiong Li  (李琼) & Shilin Yan

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, 430200, China

    Qiong Li  (李琼)

  3. College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan, 432000, China

    Guangjin Wang

  4. School of Transportation Engineering, Wuhan Technical College of Communications, Wuhan, 430065, China

    Hong Ye

Authors
  1. Qiong Li  (李琼)
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  2. Guangjin Wang
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  3. Hong Ye
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  4. Shilin Yan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qiong Li  (李琼).

Additional information

Funded by the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China (2013M540610) and the Hubei Province Scientific Research Projects (D20131601)

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Li, Q., Wang, G., Ye, H. et al. Nanocomposite membranes based on perfluorosulfonic acid/ceramic for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. J. Wuhan Univ. Technol.-Mat. Sci. Edit. 30, 1125–1129 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11595-015-1282-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11595-015-1282-7

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