| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Santos, Bianca Pedroso S.
;
Barbosa, Andrey S.
;
Kodama, Yasko
;
de Queiroz, Thiago B.
;
Santiago, Elisabete I.
Total Authors: 5
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE; v. 687, p. 12-pg., 2023-09-16. |
| Abstract | |
The radiation-induced grafting is used to prepare a variety of anion-exchange membranes (AEM) based on poly (ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) utilizing a reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent. The copolymerization process is controlled by the RAFT agent, resulting in AEMs with a restricted molecular weight dispersion. As a result, RAFT-AEMs exhibit decreased water uptake and reduced swelling. A significant improvement in thermal and mechanical characteristics is evidenced, while the conductivity remains practically unaltered. Anion-exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) tests revealed that conventional RIG-AEMs and RAFT-AEMs with low RAFT content (5 wt%) have comparable beginning-of-life performances (similar to 0.95 W cm(-2)). However, for higher RAFT contents, the performance trends to decrease indicating an imbalance in water management. Furthermore, short-term stability tests suggest that RAFT-AEMs are able to operate highly stable, with a conductivity rate loss of 0.05% h(-1), which represents an improvement of 160% in comparison to conventional RIG-AEM. AFM analysis demonstrated that structural ordering molecular and morphology tailor the fundamental properties of ETFE-based AEMs, combining enhanced performance and stability for alkaline fuel cell applications. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 20/13466-1 - Design, synthesis and characterization of molecular systems for light harvesting and charge separation |
| Grantee: | Thiago Branquinho de Queiroz |
| Support Opportunities: | Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants |
| FAPESP's process: | 17/11937-4 - A sustainable path to methane conversion by advanced electrochemical technologies |
| Grantee: | Fabio Coral Fonseca |
| Support Opportunities: | Research Grants - Research Centers in Engineering Program |