PVA /PVP/ BaCe0.85Yb0.15O3-δ –based nanocomposite proton exchange membranes for fuel cells

In the present work, BaCe0.85Yb0.15O3-δ mixed metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) were used for the first time to build proton exchange membranes. Poly(vinyl alcohol) - BaCe0.85Yb0.15O3-δ (PYb) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) - Poly(vinyl alcohol) -BaCe0.85Yb0.15O3-δ (PPYb) nanocomposite membranes were fabricated. Different analyses such as scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) were used to characterize and study the structural properties of the obtained membranes. SEM and EDX analyses exhibited a homogenous dispersion of the NPs in the membranes. PPYb nanocomposite membrane containing 1.5 wt.% of BaCe0.85Yb0.15O3-δ NPs displayed high proton conductivity value (64 mS/cm) at operation temperature of 70 °C. The peak power density of 29 mW/cm2 was obtained with a peak current density of 210 mA / cm2 for as-prepared proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) equipped with PPYb1.5 nanocomposite membrane at 70 °C.

کلیدواژه ها:

PEMFC ، Poly(vinyl alcohol) ، Glutaraldehyde ، Proton conductivity ، Proton exchange membrane ، BaCe0.85Yb0.15O3- δ.