Fabrication and characterization of poly (vinyl alcohol) – graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) proton exchange membrane for direct methanol fuel cells. (2020) - Imaan, Diyan ul
Abstract: Three different proton conducting Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) supported graphene nanoplatelets ion exchange membranes were fabricated and characterized for potential direct methanol fuel cell applications. Functional groups of the membranes were identified with the help of FT-IR spectroscopy. Subsequently, X-Ray diffraction (XRD) was used to analyze the crystalline nature of the synthesized membranes, and SEM-EDS was utilized to study the surface morphology as well as element analysis of the synthesized membranes. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed to study the thermal stability of the synthesized membranes. The chemical stability of the membranes was established with the help of Fenton's reagent. Other crucial properties like water uptake, methanol uptake, and electrochemical properties, such as counter ion transport number and ion exchange capacity, were also determined. The membranes exhibit satisfactory thermal and chemical properties, and the electrochemical properties were also acceptable.