Applicability of a New Sulfonated Pentablock Copolymer Membrane and Modified Gas Diffusion Layers for Low-Cost Water Splitting Processes

S. Filice, G. Urzì, R. G. Milazzo, S. M. S. Privitera, S. A. Lombardo, G. Compagnini and S. Scalese
Additional contact information
S. Filice: CNR-IMM, Zona Industriale Strada VIII n.5, I-95121 Catania, Italy
G. Urzì: Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, Viale A. Doria n.6, I-95125 Catania, Italy
R. G. Milazzo: CNR-IMM, Zona Industriale Strada VIII n.5, I-95121 Catania, Italy
S. M. S. Privitera: CNR-IMM, Zona Industriale Strada VIII n.5, I-95121 Catania, Italy
S. A. Lombardo: CNR-IMM, Zona Industriale Strada VIII n.5, I-95121 Catania, Italy
G. Compagnini: Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, Viale A. Doria n.6, I-95125 Catania, Italy
S. Scalese: CNR-IMM, Zona Industriale Strada VIII n.5, I-95121 Catania, Italy

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: The aim of this work is to evaluate the possible use of Nexar™ polymer, a sulfonated pentablock copolymer (s-PBC), whose structure is formed by tert-butyl styrene, hydrogenated isoprene, sulfonated styrene, hydrogenated isoprene, and tert-butyl styrene (tBS-HI-SS-HI-tBS), as a more economical and efficient alternative to Nafion ® membrane for proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis cells. Furthermore, we have studied a new methodology for modification of gas diffusion layers (GDL) by depositing Pt and TiO 2 nanoparticles at the cathode and anode side, respectively, and a protective polymeric layer on their surface, allowing the improvement of the contact with the membrane. Morphological, structural, and electrical characterization were performed on the Nexar™ membrane and on the modified GDLs. The use of modified GDLs positively affects the efficiency of the water electrolysis process. Furthermore, Nexar™ showed higher water uptake and conductivity with respect to Nafion ® , resulting in an increased amount of current generated during water electrolysis. In conclusion, we show that Nexar™ is an efficient and cheaper alternative to Nafion ® as the proton exchange membrane in water splitting applications and we suggest a possible methodology for improving GDLs’ properties. These results meet the urgent need for low-cost materials and processes for hydrogen production.

Keywords: sulfonated polymer; hydrogen production; water electrolysis; Nafion; Nexar (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: 2019
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