Development and Characterization of Sulfonated Poly Ether Ether Ketone Nano Composite Proton Exchange Membrane for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Applications

Abstract

In future, fuel cells are going to be the dominating energyconversion devices for both stationary and auto mobile applications. Severaltypes of fuel cells are under development. Direct Methanol Fuel Cells(DMFCs) have been recognized as a potential future power source for zeroemission vehicles due to the advantages like high energy density, lowtemperature operation, and ease of handling. In spite of various researchstudies, the commercialization of fuel cells are still facing technologicalblockades like performance decrease at high temperatures (gt80 °C), fuel crossover, high cost and environmental issues of per fluorinated sulfonic acid(PFSA) electrolyte membrane. The Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) is oneof the key components of fuel cells, which has double functions of conductingprotons, separating fuels and oxidant. The objective of this study is to developalternative electrolyte membranes that possess comparable properties ofPFSA membranes at a lower cost, one such polymer is Poly Ether EtherKetone (PEEK). Sulfonation is a powerful and versatile process, which makesthe polymer suitable for fuel cell applications. The degree of sulfonation (DS)of synthesized SPEEK (sulfonated PEEK) is in the range of 60-72% wasdetermined by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The SPEEK polymers werecharacterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) for theidentification of sulfonic group. An X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis wasperformed on SPEEK and the reduction in crystallinity of the polymer isdetermined. newline