Novel anion exchange membrane based on copolymer of methyl methacrylate, vinylbenzyl chloride and ethyl acrylate for alkaline fuel cells

Abstract

A series of novel anion exchange membranes based on the copolymer of methyl methacrylate, vinylbenzyl chloride and ethyl acrylate has been prepared for the potential applications for direct methanol alkaline fuel cell. The structure and thermal stability of the copolymer membranes have been characterized by FT-IR and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The ion exchange capacity (IEC), water uptake, chemical stability, methanol permeability and conductivity of these membranes have been investigated. It is found that the ionic conductivity of the membrane is as high as 1.479 × 10 −2 S cm −1 in deionizer water at 30 °C and the ionic conductivity increases with the increase of temperature from 30 to 90 °C. The methanol permeability coefficient of the membrane is less than 10 −9 mol cm −2 min −1 at 1 mol L −1 in methanol solution within temperature between 30 and 60 °C. The membrane is stable in 1.0 M KOH solution at the temperature as high as 60 °C.