Document Type : Research Article
Authors
1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
2 Fuel Cell Laboratory, Green Research Centre, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Nowadays, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are the most promising green energy
conversion devices for portable and stationary applications. Traditionally, these devices were based on
perfluoro-sulfonic acid electrolytes membranes, given the commercial name Nafion. Nafion is the most
used electrolyte membrane till now; because of its high electrochemical properties such as high proton
conductivity, good mechanical and chemical stability at fuel cell conditions, and .... However, its high
cost, reducing the performance at temperature higher than 80℃, and low humidity are the major
problems. Hydrocarbon polymers are encouraging alternative to Nafion, since they show the same or
even superior performance than Nafion at high temperature and low humidity by some modifications.
Numerous researches confirmed that Sulfonated poly ether ether ketone (SPEEK) is a promising PEM
because of its low-cost, low fuel cross over, and acceptable thermo-mechanical stabilities. However,
suitable proton conductivity in SPEEKs is depending on the high degree of sulfonation (DS), which
could deteriorate the mechanical properties of SPEEK membranes progressively at the high level. To
overcome this dilemma, various SPPEK-based hybrid/blend membranes are synthesized, and the
effects of the introduced fillers on their performance are investigated. The introduced inorganic
particles to the polymer membranes might be silica, zirconia, titania, heteropolyacids, carbon
nanotubes, and.... Enhanced proton conductivity, water retention at high temperatures, and higher
electrochemical properties are mentioned as some advantages of incorporating inorganic material into
the polymer matrix. High thermo-mechanical resistance and electrochemical activities are supplied by
inorganic moieties, while the organic parts supply plasticity and easier ductility at the low temperature.
Indeed, SPEEK blends have a good potential to alter Nafion at the high temperature and/or relatively
low humidity. In this paper, the last advances in progress of SPEEK-based organic/inorganic
composite membranes that perform truly under fuel cell conditions are discussed.
Keywords
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