Journal
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
Volume 195, Issue 8, Pages 2166-2173Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2009.10.055
Keywords
Poly(vinyl alcohol); Proton-conducting membrane; Sulfonation; Two-step crosslinking process
Funding
- National Science Council [NSC96-2221-E-011-061, NSC96-2120-M-011-001]
- National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC)
- National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan, ROC
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This study synthesizes poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based polymer electrolyte membranes by a two-step crosslinking process involving esterization and acetal ring formation reactions. This work also uses sulfosuccinic acid (SSA) as the first crosslinking agent to form an inter-crosslinked structure and a promoting sulfonating agent. Glutaraldehyde (GA) as the second crosslinking agent, reacts with the spare OH group of PVA and forms, not only a dense structure at the outer membrane surface, but also a hydrophobic protective layer. Compared with membranes prepared by a traditional one-step crosslinking process, membranes prepared by the two-step crosslinking process exhibit excellent dissolution resistance in water. The membranes become water-insoluble even at a molar ratio of SO3H/PVA-OH as high as 0.45. Moreover, the synthesized membranes also exhibit high proton conductivities and high methanol permeability resistance. The current study measures highest proton conductivity of 5.3 x 10(-2) S cm(-1) at room temperature from one of the synthesized membranes, higher than that of the Nafion (R) membrane. Methanol permeability of the synthesized membranes measures about 1 x 10(-1) cm(2) S-1, about one order of magnitude lower than that of the Nafion (R) membrane. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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