Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Zaffora, Andrea
• Giordano, Elena
• Volanti, Valentina Maria
• Iannucci, Leonardo
• Grassini, Sabrina
• Gatto, Irene
• Santamaria, Monica

Titel

Effect of TiO[sub.2] and Al[sub.2]O[sub.3] Addition on the Performance of Chitosan/Phosphotungstic Composite Membranes for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Ist Teil von

• Membranes (Basel), 2023-02, Vol.13 (2)

Ort / Verlag

MDPI AG

Erscheinungsjahr

2023

Quelle

EZB Electronic Journals Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Composite chitosan/phosphotungstic acid (CS/PTA) with the addition of TiO[sub.2] and Al[sub.2] O[sub.3] particles were synthesized to be used as proton exchange membranes in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The influence of fillers was assessed through X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, liquid uptake, ion exchange capacity and methanol permeability measurements. The addition of TiO[sub.2] particles into proton exchange membranes led to an increase in crystallinity and a decrease in liquid uptake and methanol permeability with respect to pristine CS/PTA membranes, whilst the effect of the introduction of Al[sub.2] O[sub.3] particles on the characteristics of membranes is almost the opposite. Membranes were successfully tested as proton conductors in a single module DMFC of 1 cm[sup.2] as active area, operating at 50 °C fed with 2 M methanol aqueous solution at the anode and oxygen at the cathode. Highest performance was reached by using a membrane with TiO[sub.2] (5 wt.%) particles, i.e., a power density of 40 mW cm[sup.−2] , almost doubling the performance reached by using pristine CS/PTA membrane (i.e., 24 mW cm[sup.−2] ).