Sulfonated polyether ether ketone membranes cured with different methods for direct methanol fuel cells

摘要

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) have attached considerable attention, since they offer numerous benefits, such as high efficiency, high power density, low or zero emissions and reliability. The proton exchange membrane (PEM) is one of the most critical components in the direct methanol fuel cell. Generally, PEMs with high proton conductivity and low methanol permeability are desirable for efficient fuel operation. Currently Nafion membrane, a perfluorosulfonate ionomer, is the major membrane used in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). But Nafion membrane is a poor barrier to methanol crossover. In addition, the high cost of perfluorosulfonate membranes prohibits wide commercial application for PEMFC. Therefore it is important to find novel PEMs with low methanol permeability and low cost.