Preparation and Characterisation of Composite Sulfonated Polyether Ether Ketone for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Abstract

Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC), uses a proton exchange polymer electrolyte which one of the key components developed to realize the commercialization of fuel cells in transportation and portable equipment. Poly Ether Ether Ketone (PEEK) is a thermoplastic material that has a combination of physico-chemical and good mechanical properties. The introduction of cesium tungstophosphoric acid (Cs-PWA) into the polymer matrix is an easy strategy to improve the properties of sulfonated PEEK. This research aims to study the effect of amount Cs-PWA loading in the fabrication of sulfonated PEEK on the membrane characteristics such as FTIR and XRD analysis, water uptake, methanol permeability, and proton conductivity. The results indicated that sPEEK/Cs-PWA membranes ware potential candidate as proton conductive membrane for application of DMFC due to enhancement of proton conductivity and methanol permeability performance.