Mechanical properties of functionalized chitin nanowhiskers filled chitosancomposite membranes for direct methanol fuel cell applications

To balance the relationship among mechanical properties and proton conductivity of chitosanmembranes for the application in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), sulfonic acid-functionalizedchitin nanowhiskers were synthesized and incorporated in chitosan. Results showed that the chitinnanowhiskers enhanced Young’s modulus and ultimate strength of the nanocomposite films, withoutdeterioration in elongation at break, compared to the pure chitosan membranes by increasingnanowhisker content. This could be ascribed to strong interactions between nanowhiskers andchitosan via hydrogen bonding

کلیدواژه ها:

Polymers for energy storage and harvesting ، Chitosan ، Sulfonated chitin whiskers ، DMFC ، Mechanical properties.