Sulfonated Polystyrene Reinforced with Surface Modified Nano Chitosan asPolyelectrolyte Membrane for DMFC Applications

Progress in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) has been driven by novel nanocompositepolyelectrolyte membranes (PEMs) comprising a mixture of sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) andsulfonate-modified nano chitosan. The successful synthesis of sulfonated chitosan (SCS) and itsintegration into SPS by solution casting was validated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopyand atomic force microscopy. Incorporating sulphonate groups not only improves ion-exchangingcapacity but also increases water uptake. The addition of ۲% SCS to the SPS matrix increases the ionexchange capacity (IEC) to ۱.۱۰ meq/g and the water uptake to ۳۰%, indicating a superior alternativeto both pure SPS and SPS-CS membranes. These SPS-SCS nanocomposite PEMs are emerging as alow-cost, high-performance solution for DMFCs and represent a step forward in sustainable energyresearch.

کلیدواژه ها:

Nanocomposite membranes ، Fuel cells ، Sulfonated chitosan ، Sulfonated polystyrene