Development of polyoxadiazole nanocomposites for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Dominique Gomes; Roland Marschall; Suzana P. Nunes; Michael Wark

doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2008.06.010

Development of polyoxadiazole nanocomposites for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Dominique Gomes^*, Roland Marschall, Suzana P. Nunes, Michael Wark

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

40 Scopus citations

Abstract

Novel nanocomposite membranes were prepared with sulfonated polyoxadiazole and different amounts of sulfonated dense and mesoporous (MCM-41) silica particles. It has been shown that particle size and functionality of sulfonated silica particles play an important role when they are used as fillers for the development of polymer electrolyte nanocomposite membrane for fuel cells. No significant particle agglomerates were observed in all nanocomposite membranes prepared with sulfonated dense silica particles, as analyzed by SEM, AFM, TGA, DMTA and tensile tests. The T_g values of the composite membranes increased with addition of sulfonated silica, indicating an interaction between the sulfonic acid groups of the silica and the polyoxadiazole. Constrained polymer chains in the vicinity of the inorganic particles were confirmed by the reduction of the relative peak height of tan δ. A proton conductivity of 0.034 S cm^-1 at 120 °C and 25% RH, which is around two-fold higher than the value of the pristine polymer membrane was obtained.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	406-415
Number of pages	10
Journal	Journal of Membrane Science
Volume	322
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2008.06.010
State	Published - Sep 15 2008
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
D. Gomes thanks the Helmholtz-Hochschul-Nachwuchsgruppe Projekt (VH-NG-323) for supporting this research. R. Marschall gratefully acknowledges a Georg-Christoph-Lichtenberg scholarship by the Ministry of Science and Culture of the German State of Lower Saxony, and financial support from the DFG (WA 1116/15, SPP 1181). The authors thank H. Böttcher for the dynamic mechanical thermal analyses and tensile tests, S. Nowak for the TGA measurements, K. Prause for the SEM images and S. Bolmer for the AFM topographies. The cooperation was initiated in the frame of the CARISMA Coordination Action.

Keywords

Fuel cell
Nanocomposite
PEMFC
Proton conductivity
Sulfonated silica

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Biochemistry
General Materials Science
Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
Filtration and Separation

Access to Document

10.1016/j.memsci.2008.06.010

Cite this

@article{687d9292d69d4b1aa2d21aed56370e07,

title = "Development of polyoxadiazole nanocomposites for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells",

abstract = "Novel nanocomposite membranes were prepared with sulfonated polyoxadiazole and different amounts of sulfonated dense and mesoporous (MCM-41) silica particles. It has been shown that particle size and functionality of sulfonated silica particles play an important role when they are used as fillers for the development of polymer electrolyte nanocomposite membrane for fuel cells. No significant particle agglomerates were observed in all nanocomposite membranes prepared with sulfonated dense silica particles, as analyzed by SEM, AFM, TGA, DMTA and tensile tests. The Tg values of the composite membranes increased with addition of sulfonated silica, indicating an interaction between the sulfonic acid groups of the silica and the polyoxadiazole. Constrained polymer chains in the vicinity of the inorganic particles were confirmed by the reduction of the relative peak height of tan δ. A proton conductivity of 0.034 S cm-1 at 120 °C and 25% RH, which is around two-fold higher than the value of the pristine polymer membrane was obtained.",

keywords = "Fuel cell, Nanocomposite, PEMFC, Proton conductivity, Sulfonated silica",

author = "Dominique Gomes and Roland Marschall and Nunes, {Suzana P.} and Michael Wark",

note = "Funding Information: D. Gomes thanks the Helmholtz-Hochschul-Nachwuchsgruppe Projekt (VH-NG-323) for supporting this research. R. Marschall gratefully acknowledges a Georg-Christoph-Lichtenberg scholarship by the Ministry of Science and Culture of the German State of Lower Saxony, and financial support from the DFG (WA 1116/15, SPP 1181). The authors thank H. B{\"o}ttcher for the dynamic mechanical thermal analyses and tensile tests, S. Nowak for the TGA measurements, K. Prause for the SEM images and S. Bolmer for the AFM topographies. The cooperation was initiated in the frame of the CARISMA Coordination Action. ",

year = "2008",

month = sep,

day = "15",

doi = "10.1016/j.memsci.2008.06.010",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "322",

pages = "406--415",

journal = "Journal of Membrane Science",

issn = "0376-7388",

publisher = "Elsevier",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Development of polyoxadiazole nanocomposites for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

AU - Gomes, Dominique

AU - Marschall, Roland

AU - Nunes, Suzana P.

AU - Wark, Michael

N1 - Funding Information: D. Gomes thanks the Helmholtz-Hochschul-Nachwuchsgruppe Projekt (VH-NG-323) for supporting this research. R. Marschall gratefully acknowledges a Georg-Christoph-Lichtenberg scholarship by the Ministry of Science and Culture of the German State of Lower Saxony, and financial support from the DFG (WA 1116/15, SPP 1181). The authors thank H. Böttcher for the dynamic mechanical thermal analyses and tensile tests, S. Nowak for the TGA measurements, K. Prause for the SEM images and S. Bolmer for the AFM topographies. The cooperation was initiated in the frame of the CARISMA Coordination Action.

PY - 2008/9/15

Y1 - 2008/9/15

N2 - Novel nanocomposite membranes were prepared with sulfonated polyoxadiazole and different amounts of sulfonated dense and mesoporous (MCM-41) silica particles. It has been shown that particle size and functionality of sulfonated silica particles play an important role when they are used as fillers for the development of polymer electrolyte nanocomposite membrane for fuel cells. No significant particle agglomerates were observed in all nanocomposite membranes prepared with sulfonated dense silica particles, as analyzed by SEM, AFM, TGA, DMTA and tensile tests. The Tg values of the composite membranes increased with addition of sulfonated silica, indicating an interaction between the sulfonic acid groups of the silica and the polyoxadiazole. Constrained polymer chains in the vicinity of the inorganic particles were confirmed by the reduction of the relative peak height of tan δ. A proton conductivity of 0.034 S cm-1 at 120 °C and 25% RH, which is around two-fold higher than the value of the pristine polymer membrane was obtained.

AB - Novel nanocomposite membranes were prepared with sulfonated polyoxadiazole and different amounts of sulfonated dense and mesoporous (MCM-41) silica particles. It has been shown that particle size and functionality of sulfonated silica particles play an important role when they are used as fillers for the development of polymer electrolyte nanocomposite membrane for fuel cells. No significant particle agglomerates were observed in all nanocomposite membranes prepared with sulfonated dense silica particles, as analyzed by SEM, AFM, TGA, DMTA and tensile tests. The Tg values of the composite membranes increased with addition of sulfonated silica, indicating an interaction between the sulfonic acid groups of the silica and the polyoxadiazole. Constrained polymer chains in the vicinity of the inorganic particles were confirmed by the reduction of the relative peak height of tan δ. A proton conductivity of 0.034 S cm-1 at 120 °C and 25% RH, which is around two-fold higher than the value of the pristine polymer membrane was obtained.

KW - Fuel cell

KW - Nanocomposite

KW - PEMFC

KW - Proton conductivity

KW - Sulfonated silica

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=48149100740&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.memsci.2008.06.010

DO - 10.1016/j.memsci.2008.06.010

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:48149100740

SN - 0376-7388

VL - 322

SP - 406

EP - 415

JO - Journal of Membrane Science

JF - Journal of Membrane Science

IS - 2

ER -

Development of polyoxadiazole nanocomposites for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this