Fabrication and characterization of PVA/NNSA/GLA/nano-silica proton conducting composite membranes for DMFC applications

Blends of PVA and 2-nitroso-1-naphtol-4-sulfonic acid (NNSA) ranging from 10 to 40 wt% were crosslinked in the presence of glutaraldehyde (GLA) to produce hybrid membranes. The structure and morphology of the hybrid membranes were studied by XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, and elemental mapping experiments. The mechanical performance and thermal stability of the membranes were also examined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), respectively. Increasing the concentration of NNSA resulted in the improvement of mechanical and thermal performances of the membrane. The addition of NNSA and SiO(2) to the solution of PVA makes the resultant hybrid membrane more hydrophilic, and therefore, the proton conductivity, water uptake and ion exchange capacity (IEC) improved. The highest proton conductivity value (0.18 S cm(−1) at 30 °C) was found for the PVA/GLA/NNSA (40 wt%)/SiO(2) (5 wt%) composite membrane. It was also demonstrated that the methanol permeability values decreased with increasing NNSA content.