A Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Membrane for PEM Fuel Cells Using Bacterial Cellulose

Autor: Xiaozhen Yang, Lin Huang, Qiang Deng, Weifu Dong
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Polymers, Vol 16, Iss 21, p 3017 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 16213017
2073-4360
DOI: 10.3390/polym16213017
Popis: Bacterial cellulose (BC) is an advantageous polymer due to its renewable nature, low cost, environmental compatibility, biocompatibility, biodegradability, chemical stability, and ease of modification. With these advantages, BC is an interesting candidate for the development of novel eco-friendly materials for proton-exchange membrane (PEM) applications. However, its practical applications have been limited by its relatively high dispersion in water, which usually occurs during the operation of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In addition, the proton conductivity of bacterial cellulose is poor. In this study, functionalized BC modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was prepared using a solvent casting method to enhance its performance. The results showed that the water stability of the modified BC membrane was significantly improved, with the contact angle increasing from 54.9° to 103.3°. Furthermore, the optimum ratio of BC and APTES was used to prepare a proton-exchange membrane with a maximum proton conductivity of 62.2 mS/cm, which exhibited a power generation performance of 4.85 mW/cm2 in PEMFCs. It is worth mentioning that modified BC membranes obtained by combining an alkaline proton carrier (-NH2) with BC have rarely been reported. As fully bio-based conductive membranes for PEMFCs, they have the potential to be a low-cost, eco-friendly, and degradable alternative to expensive, ecologically problematic fluoric ionomers in short-term or disposable applications, such as biodegradable electronics and portable power supplies.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
Externí odkaz:
Nepřihlášeným uživatelům se plný text nezobrazuje