Surfactant-Assisted Perovskite Nanofillers Incorporated in Quaternized Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) Composite Membrane as an Effective Hydroxide-Conducting Electrolyte

Selvaraj Rajesh Kumar, Wei-Ting Ma, Hsin-Chun Lu, Li-Wei Teng, Hung-Chun Hsu, Chao-Ming Shih, Chun-Chen Yang and Shingjiang Jessie Lue
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Selvaraj Rajesh Kumar: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, and Green Technology Research Center, Chang Gung University, Guishan District, Tao-yuan 333, Taiwan
Wei-Ting Ma: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, and Green Technology Research Center, Chang Gung University, Guishan District, Tao-yuan 333, Taiwan
Hsin-Chun Lu: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, and Green Technology Research Center, Chang Gung University, Guishan District, Tao-yuan 333, Taiwan
Li-Wei Teng: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, and Green Technology Research Center, Chang Gung University, Guishan District, Tao-yuan 333, Taiwan
Hung-Chun Hsu: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, and Green Technology Research Center, Chang Gung University, Guishan District, Tao-yuan 333, Taiwan
Chao-Ming Shih: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, and Green Technology Research Center, Chang Gung University, Guishan District, Tao-yuan 333, Taiwan
Chun-Chen Yang: Department of Chemical Engineering and Battery Research Center of Green Energy, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City 24301, Taiwan
Shingjiang Jessie Lue: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, and Green Technology Research Center, Chang Gung University, Guishan District, Tao-yuan 333, Taiwan

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: Perovskite LaFeO 3 nanofillers (0.1%) are incorporated into a quaternized poly(vinyl alcohol) (QPVA) matrix for use as hydroxide-conducting membranes in direct alkaline methanol fuel cells (DAMFCs). The as-synthesized LaFeO 3 nanofillers are amorphous and functionalized with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant. The annealed LaFeO 3 nanofillers are crystalline without CTAB. The QPVA/CTAB-coated LaFeO 3 composite membrane shows a defect-free structure while the QPVA/annealed LaFeO 3 film has voids at the interfaces between the soft polymer and rigid nanofillers. The QPVA/CTAB-coated LaFeO 3 composite has lower methanol permeability and higher ionic conductivity than the pure QPVA and QPVA/annealed LaFeO 3 films. We suggest that the CTAB-coated LaFeO 3 provides three functions to the polymeric composite: increasing polymer free volume, ammonium group contributor, and plasticizer to enhance the interfacial compatibility. The composite containing CTAB-coated LaFeO 3 results in superior cell performance. A maximum power density of 272 mW cm ?2 is achieved, which is among the highest power outputs reported for DAMFCs in the literature.

Keywords: LaFeO 3 nanoparticles; surfactant functionalization; quaternized poly (vinyl alcohol); hydroxide-conduction; alkaline methanol fuel cell (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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