Journal
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
Volume 6, Issue 19, Pages 16734-16744Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/am503789d
Keywords
Nafion composite membrane; mesoporous TiO2 nanotubes; metal oxide; PEFCs; electrospinning
Funding
- DGIST R&D Program of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Korea [14-BD-Q1]
- Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning, Republic of Korea [14-BD-01] Funding Source: Korea Institute of Science & Technology Information (KISTI), National Science & Technology Information Service (NTIS)
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We describe a facile route to fabricate mesoporous metal oxide (TiO2, CeO2 and ZrO1.95) nanotubes for efficient water retention and migration in a Nafion membrane operated in polymer electrolyte fuel cell under low relative humidity (RH). Porous TiO2 nanotubes (TNT), CeO2 nanotubes (CeNT), and ZrO1.95 (ZrNT) were synthesized by calcining electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibers embedded with metal precursors. The nanofibers were prepared using a conventional single spinneret electrospinning technique under an ambient atmosphere. Their porous tubular morphology was observed by SEM and TEM analyses. HR-TEM results revealed a porous metal oxide wall composed of small particles joined together. The mesoporous structure of the samples was analyzed using BET. The tubular morphology and outstanding water absorption ability of the TNT, CeNT, and ZrNT fillers resulted in the effective enhancement of proton conductivity of Nafion composite membranes under both fully humid and dry conditions. Compared to a commercial membrane (Nafion, NRE-212) operated under 100% RH at 80 degrees C, the Nafion-TNT composite membrane delivered approximately 1.29 times higher current density at 0.6 V. Compared to the Nafion-TiO2 nanoparticles membrane, the Nafion-TNT membrane also generated higher current density at 0.6 V. Additionally, compared to a NRE-212 membrane operated under 50% RH at 80 degrees C, the Nafion-TNT composite membrane exhibited 3.48 times higher current density at 0.6 V. Under dry conditions (18% RH at 80 degrees C), the Nafion-TNT, Nafion-CeNT, and Nafion-ZrNT composite membranes exhibited 3.4, 2.4, and 2.9 times higher maximum power density, respectively, than the NRE-212 membrane. The remarkably high performance of the Nafion composite membrane was mainly attributed to the reduction of ohmic resistance by the mesoporous hygroscopic metal oxide nanotubes, which can retain water and effectively enhance water diffusion through the membrane.
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