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Surfactant-Assisted Perovskite Nanofillers Incorporated in Quaternized Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) Composite Membrane as an Effective Hydroxide-Conducting Electrolyte
- Source :
- Energies, Vol 10, Iss 5, p 615 (2017)
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2017.
-
Abstract
- Perovskite LaFeO3 nanofillers (0.1%) are incorporated into a quaternized poly(vinyl alcohol) (QPVA) matrix for use as hydroxide-conducting membranes in direct alkaline methanol fuel cells (DAMFCs). The as-synthesized LaFeO3 nanofillers are amorphous and functionalized with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant. The annealed LaFeO3 nanofillers are crystalline without CTAB. The QPVA/CTAB-coated LaFeO3 composite membrane shows a defect-free structure while the QPVA/annealed LaFeO3 film has voids at the interfaces between the soft polymer and rigid nanofillers. The QPVA/CTAB-coated LaFeO3 composite has lower methanol permeability and higher ionic conductivity than the pure QPVA and QPVA/annealed LaFeO3 films. We suggest that the CTAB-coated LaFeO3 provides three functions to the polymeric composite: increasing polymer free volume, ammonium group contributor, and plasticizer to enhance the interfacial compatibility. The composite containing CTAB-coated LaFeO3 results in superior cell performance. A maximum power density of 272 mW cm−2 is achieved, which is among the highest power outputs reported for DAMFCs in the literature.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19961073
- Volume :
- 10
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Energies
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.858adfef24204e0f8b375e9468c8e3a1
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/en10050615