Articles & Issues

Language: English

Conflict of Interest: In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Publication history: Received February 28, 2005
Accepted April 22, 2005

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

All issues

Preparation of Laminated Composite Membranes by Impregnation of Polypropylene with Styrene in Supercritical CO2 for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Junho Sauk Jungyeon Byun Yuchan Kang Hwayong Kim^†

School of Chemical Engineering & Institute of Chemical Process, Seoul National University, Shinlim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-744, Korea

Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, July 2005, 22(4), 605-610(6), 10.1007/BF02706651

Download PDF

Abstract

Composite membranes were formed by grafting styrene using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) impregnation and polymerization procedures. A polypropylene membrane, styrene monomer, divinylbenzene (DVB), and 2,2'-Azoisobutyronitrile (AIBN) were placed in a reactor, and CO2 was injected into the reactor at 38 ℃ for the scCO2 impregnation process. After impregnation, the polymerization process was carried out at 78 ℃. The grafted membranes were sulfonated in concentrated sulfuric acid at 95 ℃. These polypropylene grafted polystyrene sulfonic acid (PP-gpssa) membranes were characterized by using various methods. The morphology and structure of the PP-g-pssa membranes were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The ion conductivity and methanol permeability were also measured. The ion conductivity of the PP-g-pssa membranes was higher and the methanol permeability of the laminated membrane was lower than that of Nafion membranes. The performance of the PP-g-pssa/Nafion laminated membranes was evaluated in a DMFC unit cell at 90 ℃.

Keywords

Polypropylene Grafted Polystyrene Sulfonic Acid Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Impregnation Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Laminated Membrane

References

Bae B, Kim D, J. Membr. Sci., 220(1-2), 75 (2003)
Beckman EJ, J. Supercrit. Fluids, 28, 121 (2004)
Pak C, Lee SJ, Lee SA, Chang H, Korean J. Chem. Eng., 22(2), 214 (2005)
Goodenough JB, Hamnett A, Kennedy BJ, Manoharan R, Weeks SA, J. Electroanal. Chem., 240, 133 (1988)
Hogarth MP, Hards GA, Platinum Metals Revie, 40(4), 150 (1996)
Kazarian SG, Polym. Science. Ser. C, 42, 78 (2000)
Lee CS, Yi SC, Korean J. Chem. Eng., 21(6), 1153 (2004)
Li L, Zhang J, Wang YX, J. Membr. Sci., 226(1-2), 159 (2003)
Liu Z, Dong Z, Han B, Wang J, He J, Yang G, Chem. Mater., 14, 4619 (2002)
Liu ZM, Song LP, Dai XH, Yang GY, Han BX, Xu J, Polymer, 43(4), 1183 (2002)
Manea C, Mulder M, J. Membr. Sci., 206(1-2), 443 (2002)
Muth O, Hirth T, Vogel H, J. Supercrit. Fluids, 17(1), 65 (2000)
Otsuka K, Yamanaka I, Applied Catalysis, 26, 401 (1986)
Parsons R, VanderNoot T, J. Electroanal. Chem., 257, 9 (1988)
Sauk J, Byun J, Kim H, J. Power Sources, 132(1-2), 59 (2004)
Surampudi S, Narayanan SR, Vamos E, Frank H, Halpert G, LaConti A, Kosek J, SuryaPrakash GK, Olah GA, J. Power Sources, 47, 377 (1994)
Tricoli V, Carretta N, Bartolozzi M, J. Electrochem. Soc., 147(4), 1286 (2000)
Wang JT, Wasmus S, Savinell RF, J. Electrochem. Soc., 142(12), 4218 (1995)
Woo Y, Oh SY, Kang YS, Jung B, J. Membr. Sci., 220(1-2), 31 (2003)