Publication: The effect of epoxidized natural rubber loading within the polyvinyl alcohol as a polymer electrolyte membrane
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Date
2024-08-01
Authors
Nurul Sakinah Binti Mohamad
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Abstract
DEFCs have become a viable option for portable devices since they are less toxic and flammable, making them safer to handle and use. This is especially important for applications where safety is a top concern. This study aims to investigate the different loading effects of Epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) incorporation on the morphology, mechanical, thermal, and physicochemical properties of the Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based membrane. The membrane uptake and electrochemical properties of PVA/ENR 50 blend membrane affected by different loading of ENR 50 were observed. This project involved the preparation of solution and synthesis of the blend membrane using a solution casting method, followed by characterization using techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses, and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). These characterization methods showed that crosslinked PVA/ENR 50 blend membranes have good compatibility and are well synthesized. The performance of the blend membrane is evaluated in terms of proton conductivity, ion exchange capacity, selectivity factor, membrane uptake, ethanol permeability and swelling ratio. It was shown that the transport properties of the membrane were influenced by the ENR 50 loading. Increasing the loading of ENR 50 leads to good performance and efficiency in fuel cell applications. The membrane with optimum ENR 50 loading (40 vol.%) obtained the highest proton conductivity of 6.47×10-3 Scm-1 and reduced ethanol permeability of 4.37 ×10-7 cm2 s-1.