Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol.17, No.4, 730-735, July, 2011
Crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/sulfonated polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane (sPOSS) hybrid membranes for direct methanol fuel cell applications
E-mail:
Organic.inorganic hybrid crosslinked membranes based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and sulfonated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS-SO3H) with urethane crosslinks were prepared as candidate materials for a proton exchange membrane for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and ion exchange capacity measurements for the hybrid revealed the POSS is incorporated as a part of the crosslinked network. We found that proton conductivity increased and methanol permeability decreased with increasing POSS content in the hybrid membrane. In particular, our hybrid membranes demonstrated proton conductivities comparable to that of Nafion 117 while exhibiting lower methanol permeability as compared to Nafion 117. We postulate that the polar sulfonic acid groups of the incorporated sPOSS cages assemble to provide ion conduction paths while the hydrophobic portions of the same sPOSS cages combine to form a barrier to methanol permeation of the hybrid membrane.
Keywords:Hybrid membrane;Sulfonated polyhedral oligomeric;silsesquioxane (sPOSS);Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC)
- Deluca NW, Elabd YA, J. Polym. Sci. B: Polym. Phys., 44(16), 2201 (2006)
- Ren XM, Zawadzinski TA, Uribe F, Dai H, Gottesfeld S, Electrochem. Soc. Proc., 95, 284 (1995)
- Gurau B, Smotkin ES, J. Power Sources, 112(2), 339 (2002)
- Barragan VM, Ruiz-Bauza C, Villaluenga JPG, Seoane B, J. Power Sources, 130(1-2), 22 (2004)
- Chen Z, Holmberg B, Li W, Wang X, Deng W, Munoz R, Yan Y, Chem. Mater., 18, 5669 (2006)
- Di Vona ML, Marani D, D’Ottavi C, Trombetta M, Traversa E, Beurroies I, Knauth P, Licoccia S, Chem. Mater., 18, 69 (2006)
- Chen WF, Kuo PL, Macromolecules, 40(6), 1987 (2007)
- Shahi VK, Solid State Ion., 177(39-40), 3395 (2007)
- Su YH, Liu YL, Sun YM, Lai JY, Wang DM, Gao Y, Liu BJ, Guiver MD, J. Membr. Sci., 296(1-2), 21 (2007)
- Kim DS, Park HB, Rhim JW, Lee YM, J. Membr. Sci., 240(1-2), 37 (2004)
- Kim DS, Liu B, Guiver MD, Polymer, 47(23), 7871 (2006)
- Chang HY, Thangamuthu R, Lin CW, J. Membr. Sci., 228(2), 217 (2004)
- Thangamuthu R, Lin CW, Solid State Ion., 176(5-6), 531 (2005)
- Chang YW, Wang E, Shin G, Han JE, Mather PT, Polym. Adv. Technol., 18, 535 (2007)
- Yen YC, Ye YS, Cheng CC, Lu CH, Tsai LD, Huang JM, Chang FC, Polymer, 51(1), 84 (2010)
- Decker B, Hartmann-Thompson C, Carver PI, Keinath SE, Santurri PR, Chem. Mater., 22, 942 (2010)
- Chhabra P, Choudhary V, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 118(5), 3013 (2010)
- Subianto S, Mistry MK, Choudhury NR, Dutta NK, Knott R, Appl. Mater. Interface., 1, 1173 (2009)
- Choi J, Lee KM, Wycisk R, Pintauro PN, Mather PT, J. Electrochem. Soc., 157(6), B914 (2010)
- Vidotto G, Levy DL, Kovacs A, J. Kolloid Z. Z. Polym., 230, 289 (1969)