Pre-treatment effect on the sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) membrane transport properties and direct methanol fuel cell performance

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2007

Authors

Silva, VS (Author) Other; Silva, VB (Author) Other; Adélio Mendes (Author) FEUP; Luis Madeira (Author) FEUP; Silva, H (Author) Other; Michaelmann, J (Author) Other; Ruffmann, B (Author) Other; Nunes, SP (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Separation Science and Technology

Vol. 42 No. 12

Pages: 2909-2925

ISSN: 0149-6395

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 6 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 7 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Chemical engineering

CORDIS: Technological sciences > Engineering > Chemical engineering

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-004-EKZ

DOI: 10.1080/01496390701558342

Abstract (EN): In this paper a critical study is presented on how the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) membrane properties are affected by a pre-treatment. Membranes based on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (sPEEK) with sulfonation degree (SD) of 42% were used, plain and modified inorganically with 1 wt.% of zirconium oxide. Nafion (R) 1135 was used as reference. The results obtained show that the sPEEK polymer (SD = 42%) enables the preparation of proton exchange membranes with improved properties compared to Nafion (R) and to the ZrO2-modified sPEEK membrane, mainly due to its improved relation between proton conductivity and methanol permeation. After the pre-treatment, the plain sPEEK membrane had a performance 6.4 times higher in terms of maximum power output when used in the DMFC.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 17