Functionalized metallic transition metal dichalcogenide (TaS2) for nanocomposite membranes in direct methanol fuel cells. Issue 10 (12th February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Beydaghi, Hossein; Najafi, Leyla; Bellani, Sebastiano; Bagheri, Ahmad; Martín-García, Beatriz; Salarizadeh, Parisa; Hooshyari, Khadijeh; Naderizadeh, Sara; Serri, Michele; Pasquale, Lea; Wu, Bing; Oropesa-Nuñez, Reinier; Sofer, Zdeněk; Pellegrini, Vittorio; Bonaccorso, Francesco
• Is Part Of: Journal of materials chemistry. Volume 9:Issue 10(2021)
• Page Start: 6368
• Page End: 6381
• Publication Date: 2021-02-12
• Subjects: Materials -- Research -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Analytic -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Research -- Periodicals; 543.0284
• DOI: 10.1039/d0ta11137f
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2050-7488

Abstract

Abstract : Novel nanocomposite proton-exchange membranes based on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and functionalized tantalum disulfide (S-TaS2 ) overcome the dichotomy of the properties of SPEEK membranes for direct methanol fuel cells. Abstract : In this work, we designed a novel nanocomposite proton-exchange membrane (PEM) based on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and tantalum disulfide functionalized with terminal sulfonate groups (S-TaS2 ). The PEMs are prepared through a solution-casting method and exploited in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Two-dimensional S-TaS2 nanoflakes were prepared as a functional additive to produce the novel nanocomposite membrane for DMFCs due to their potential as a fuel barrier and an excellent proton conductor. To optimize the degree of sulfonation (DS) of SPEEK and the weight percentage (wt%) of S-TaS2 nanoflakes in PEMs, we used the central composite design of the response surface method. The optimum PEM was obtained for SPEEK DS of 1.9% and a weight fraction (wt%) of S-TaS2 nanoflakes of 70.2%. The optimized membrane shows a water uptake of 45.72%, a membrane swelling of 9.64%, a proton conductivity of 96.24 mS cm −1, a methanol permeability of 2.66 × 10 −7 cm 2 s −1, and a selectivity of 36.18 × 10 4 S s cm −3 . Moreover, SPEEK/S-TaS2 membranes show superior thermal and chemical stabilities compared to those of pristine SPEEK. The DMFC fabricated with the SPEEK/S-TaS2 membrane has reached the maximum power densities of 64.55 mW cm −2 and 161.18 mW cm −2 at 30 °C and 80 °C, respectively, which are ∼78% higher than the values obtained with the pristine SPEEK membrane. Our results demonstrate that SPEEK/S-TaS2 membranes have a great potential for DMFC applications.