Montmorillonite‐reinforced sulfonated poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) nanocomposite proton exchange membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

Abstract

ABSTRACTTo produce a composite membrane with high conductivity and low permeability, SPPESK with a degree of sulfonation of 101% was carefully selected for the preparation of montmorillonite (MMT)‐reinforced SPPESK using solution intercalation. The fundamental characteristics such as water uptake, swelling ratio, proton conductivity, methanol permeability, and mechanical properties of the composite membranes were studied. Water uptake is improved when organic MMT (OMMT) loading increase. The composite membranes with CTAB‐MMT loading of 4–0.5% show 0.143–0.150 S cm−1 proton conductivity at 80°C, which approaches the value of Nafion112. In addition, methanol permeability was decreased to 6.29 × 10−8 cm2 s−1 by the addition of 6 wt % OMMT. As a result, the SPPESK‐MMT composite membrane is a good candidate for use in direct methanol fuel cells. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 39852.