Zakaria Z, Kamarudin S K, Timmiati S N
Fuel Cell Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
Nanoscale Res Lett. 2019 Jan 18;14(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s11671-018-2836-3.
Passive alkaline-direct ethanol fuel cells (alkaline-DEFCs) appear to be suitable for producing sustainable energy for portable devices. However, ethanol crossover is a major challenge for passive alkaline-DEFC systems. This study investigated the performance of a crosslinked quaternized poly (vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide (QPVA/GO) composite membrane to reduce ethanol permeability, leading in enhancement of passive alkaline-DEFC performance. The chemical and physical structure, morphology, ethanol uptake and permeability, ion exchange capacity, water uptake, and ionic conductivity of the composite membranes were characterized and measured to evaluate their applicability in fuel cells. The transport properties of the membrane were affected by GO loading, with an optimal loading of 15 wt.% and doped with 1 M of KOH showing the lowest ethanol permeability (1.49 × 10 cm s and 3.65 × 10 cm s at 30 °C and 60 °C, respectively) and the highest ionic conductivity (1.74 × 10 S cm and 6.24 × 10 S cm at 30 °C and 60 °C, respectively). In the passive alkaline-DEFCs, the maximum power density was 9.1 mW cm, which is higher than commercial Nafion 117/KOH (7.68 mW cm) at 30 °C with a 2 M ethanol + 2 M KOH solution. For the 60 °C, the maximum power density of composite membrane achieved was 11.4 mW cm.
被动式碱性直接乙醇燃料电池(alkaline-DEFCs)似乎适用于为便携式设备生产可持续能源。然而,乙醇渗透是被动式碱性DEFC系统面临的一个主要挑战。本研究调查了交联季铵化聚(乙烯醇)/氧化石墨烯(QPVA/GO)复合膜的性能,以降低乙醇渗透率,从而提高被动式碱性DEFC的性能。对复合膜的化学和物理结构、形态、乙醇吸收和渗透率、离子交换容量、吸水率和离子电导率进行了表征和测量,以评估它们在燃料电池中的适用性。膜的传输性能受氧化石墨烯负载量的影响,最佳负载量为15 wt.%,掺杂1 M的KOH时,在30℃和60℃下分别显示出最低的乙醇渗透率(分别为1.49×10 cm s和3.65×10 cm s)和最高的离子电导率(在30℃和60℃下分别为1.74×10 S cm和6.24×10 S cm)。在被动式碱性DEFC中,最大功率密度为9.1 mW cm,在30℃下使用2 M乙醇+2 M KOH溶液时,高于商业Nafion 117/KOH(7.68 mW cm)。在60℃时,复合膜的最大功率密度达到11.4 mW cm。