Synthesis and Ex-situ Characterization of Nafion/TiO2 Composite Membranes for Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell

Nafion/TiO₂ composite membranes for different loadings of TiO₂ were prepared by casting method for the possible application in direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC). The properties of the composite membranes were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analyser (TGA), ion exchange capacity, water and alcohol uptake, swelling ratio, proton conductivity, and ethanol crossover. The observed characteristics of the membranes were evaluated for DEFC and compared with the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) membrane. The analysis reveales a significant influence on the TiO₂ surface characteristics, water and alcohol uptake, and swelling of the membrane. The TiO₂ composite membranes exhibited a sharp decrease in methanol and ethanol crossover for 5% TiO₂ and the proton conductivity was heighest for 1% TiO₂ loading. The best compromise between proton conductivity and crossover has been found out with the help of the characteristic factor ϕ. The optimum loading of 5% TiO₂ composite membrane has shown the maximum characteristic factor.     

Alcohol Dehydrations over ZSM‐5 Type Zeolites,Montmorillonite Clays and Pillared Montmorillonites

The reactions of aliphatic alcohols (ethanol, 1‐propanol and 2‐propanol) were studied at 1 atm and 150–300°C by using ZSM‐5 type zeolites, montmorillonites, and pillared montmorillonites. With H‐ZSM‐5 (X) Y zeolites, the total number of acid sites increases with a decrease of Si0₂/Al₂O₃ molar ratio (X) and calcining temperature (Y). In addition, apparent increase in the ratio of strong to weak acid sites occurs with increasing X or decreasing Y. The acidities of M‐ZSM‐5 (51) 600 zeolites follow the sequence: Li = Na < K < Cs. Pillared clays exhibit both larger surface areas and more acid sites than the clays. The alcohol conversions decrease in the order of 2‐propanol < 1‐propanol < ethanol, in accordance with the relative stabilities of the corresponding carbenium ions. The catalytic activities are parallel to the total number of catalyst acid sites and the reaction temperature. Favorable formations of ethers are observed at low reaction temperature and small contact time on a catalyst with weak acid strength. Simple consecutive reactions and combined pathway of parallel and consecutive reactions are proposed, respectively, for the dehydration of ethanol and for those of 1‐propanol and 2‐propanol.     

Separation of alcohols and alcohols/O2 mixtures using zeolite MFI membranes

Two different types of supported silicalite membranes were employed for the separation of alcohols and alcohols/O₂ mixtures: in one of them the zeolite material was deposited on the top of the γ-alumina supports, while in the other the zeolitic material was mainly present in the porous structure of the α-alumina supports. While both kinds of membranes were able to separate the above mixtures, the second type of membranes having the zeolite material inside the support performed more efficiently. The maximum selectivity reported in this work is 7415 for the ethanol/O₂ separation in an ethanol/methanol/O₂ mixture. For a better understanding of the separation mechanism, the performance of both zeolite membranes was compared to that of a mesoporous silica membrane. Also, the adsorption of methanol and propanol on silicalite crystals was measured using a microbalance.     

Nafion/PTFE and zirconium phosphate modified Nafion/PTFE composite membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

We prepared Nafion/PTFE (NF) and zirconium phosphate (ZrP) hybridized Nafion/PTFE composite membranes (NF–ZrP). NF–ZrP composite membranes were prepared via two processes. One is impregnating sub-μm porous PTFE membrane directly in a Nafion/ZrOCl₂ solution (NF–Zr–d). The other is impregnating sub-μm porous PTFE membrane in a Nafion solution to prepare NF composite membrane, and then the NF membrane was impregnated in a ZrOCl₂ aqueous solution via in situ precipitation method (NF–Zr–I). The ZrOCl₂ inserted in NF composite membranes was then reacted with phosphoric acid to form ZrP and thus NF–ZrP–d and NF–ZrP–I composite membranes were obtained. The direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) performances of membrane electrode assemblies prepared from Nafion-117, NF, NF–ZrP–d, and NF–ZrP–I composite membranes were investigated. The effects of introducing sub-μm porous PTFE film and ZrP particles into Nafion membranes on the DMFC performance were investigated. The influence of ZrP hybridizing process into NF membranes (the process of preparing NF–ZrP–I is inserting ZrOCl₂ into NF membranes after Nafion is annealed and the process of preparing NF–ZrP–d is mixing ZrOCl₂ into a Nafion solution before Nafion is annealed) on the morphology of NF–ZrP composite membranes and thus on the DMFC performance was also discussed.     

The electric transport of proton-bound water in MF-4SK/PAni nanocomposite membranes

Electrochemical characteristics of MF-4SK/PAni nanocomposite membranes prepared at different times of chemical polymerization of aniline are studied. Electroosmotic permeability and conductivity of membranes in solutions of acids and sodium chloride are determined. It is revealed that the conductivity of nanocomposites in the proton form at 30-day synthesis is approximately 3 times as low as that of the base membrane and composite membrane formed at 5-h synthesis. The transport number of water slightly depends on the structural type of membrane and changes from 3.3 to 2 mol H₂O/mol H⁺ with an increase in the concentration of HCl solution from 0.1 to 3 M. The ratio of transport number to the water content rises about twofold in composites as compared to the initial membrane. It is shown that water is transferred with proton as hydronium structures [H₅O₂]⁺ and [H₉O₄]⁺ by the migration mechanism whose contribution to the total proton transfer in composite membranes increases.     

Preparation of PFSA/PSf hollow fiber composite membranes with recovered PFSA for the pervaporation separation of EtOH/H2O

Perfluorosulfonic acid/Polysulfone(PFSA/PSf) hollow fiber composite membranes have been prepared by dip-coating method using PSf ultrafiltration (UF) membrane as substrate with recovered PFSA. The composite membranes were applied to the pervaporation separation of 95% ethanol (EtOH)/H₂O mixture. SEM images show that the thickness of the PFSA skin layer of the composite membranes is about 2 μm, much thinner than those of other PFSA composite membranes revealed in the literatures. Effects of annealing temperature, coating solution concentration and counter-ions of PFSA on the pervaporation performances of the composite membranes were investigated. The total flux decreases and separation factor increases with the increase of annealing temperature. The highest permeation flux of 3230 g m^?2 h^?1 and a separation factor of 5.4 is obtained for the composite membrane annealed at 80°C. The lowest permeation flux of 396 g m^?2 h^?1 and a separation factor of 27.7 is obtained for the composite membrane annealed at 160°C. The permeation performances of the PFSA/PSf composite membrane are evidently influenced by the counter-ions of PFSA. The flux sequence of the PFSA/PSf composite membranes with different counter-ions is H⁺>Li⁺>Ca²⁺>Mg²⁺>Na⁺>K⁺>Ba²⁺>Fe³⁺>Al³⁺, and the separation factor sequence is H⁺<Li⁺<Al³⁺<Na⁺<Mg²⁺<Ca²⁺<K⁺<Ba²⁺<Fe³⁺. The apparent activation energy ΔE _app values of the composite membranes with different counter-ions were calculated by Arrhenius law. The sequence of ΔE _app values for the membranes with monovalent counter-ions is Li⁺>Na⁺>K⁺. There are very little variations of ΔE _app values between the composite membranes with three divalent counter-ions (Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ and Ba²⁺), and the ΔE _app values of the composite membranes with two trivalent counter-ions (Fe³⁺ and Al³⁺) are relatively high.     

Blend membranes from cellulose/konjac glucomannan cuprammonium solution

The blend membranes were prepared from cellulose/konjac glucomannan (KGM) cuprammonium solution by coagulating with aqueous 10 wt% NaOH solution, 20°C and 40°C water, respectively. Miscibility, pore morphology, structure, water permeability and mechanical properties of the blend membranes were investigated. The complex forms of cellulose/KGM in the mixed solutions, the effect of various coagulants and the percent content of KGM (w_KGM) on the structure and properties of the blend membrane are discussed. SEM and mechanical relaxation analysis indicate that the blend membranes are miscible in the range of 0–30 wt% of w_KGM. When w_KGM was smaller than 20 wt%, the tensil strength of the blend membrane coagulated by alkali aqueous solution was enhanced, corresponding to homogeneous structure and small pore size. However, blend membranes having a larger pore size (366 nm by SEM) and water permeability (560 ml/m² h mmHg) were obtained by coagulating the cellulose/KGM (70:30) cuprammonium solution with 40°C water, where ca. 20% of KGM as pore former were removed from the membrane.     

Effect of separating layer in pervaporation composite membrane for MTBE/MeOH separation

The composite membranes with polyvinylalcohol (PVA) as separating layer material and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) or cellulose acetate (CA) as supporting layer material were prepared for separating methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)/MeOH mixture by pervaporation (PV). The results showed that PV performance of the composite membrane with PVA membrane as separating layer was superior to that with CA membrane as separating layer, and the PV performance of PVA/CA composite membrane with CA membrane as supporting layer was better. The parameters to prepare the composite membrane remarkably affected PV performance of the composite membrane. The permeate flux of both composite membranes of PVA/PAN and PVA/CA was over 400 g/m² h, and the concentration of MeOH in the permeate reached over 99.9 wt.% for separating MTBE/MeOH mixture.     

掺杂纳米SiO2的PVDF-g-PSSA质子交换膜

以聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)为骨架, 采用溶液接枝苯乙烯磺酸, 合成了掺杂纳米SiO₂颗粒的复合质子交换膜(PVDF/xSiO₂-g-PSSA). 利用红外光谱、热失重分析方法、扫描电镜, 对膜的结构、热稳定性、表面及断面形态进行了表征. 考察了膜的吸水率、电导率、甲醇渗透性等性质. 结果表明, 纳米SiO₂颗粒能提高膜的阻醇性能, 掺杂质量分数10%的适量SiO₂颗粒所得的复合膜的甲醇渗透系数达1.0×10^－7 cm²/s, 低于聚偏氟乙烯接枝苯乙烯磺酸(PVDF-g-PSSA)膜的1.7×10^－7 cm²/s, 仅为Nafion-117的渗透系数的二十分之一. PVDF/10% SiO₂-g-PSSA复合膜具有较高的选择性, 在直接甲醇燃料电池中具有良好的应用前景.     

Polyetherimide/polyvinylpyrrolidone vapor permeation membranes. Physical and chemical characterization

Integrally skinned capillary tube membranes were prepared by the wet-phase inversion method. A series of polyetherimide (PEI, Ultem 1000) membranes were prepared with varying amounts of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in the casting solution. The surfaces of the membranes were analyzed by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). It was found that the molecular structure of PEI, both with and without PVP, changes considerably during membrane preparation. The ESCA results indicated that the amount of PEI nitrogen remaining fully imidized at the surface varied in the range 63–86%. The PVP/PEI mass ratio at the membrane surface was found to increase linearly from 0 to 0.10 as the ratio was increased from 0 to 0.43 in the casting solution. The PVP/PEI mass ratio in the membrane bulk was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to reach a maximum of 0.067. Vapor permeation experiments were done with a water/n-propanol mixture. The addition of PVP increased the membrane selectivity (α=P_A/P_B, A=water, B=1-propanol) from 76 to 810, while the permeance for water remained relatively constant at 1.3×10⁻⁶ mol/m² s Pa.     

A Novel Method for Synthesis of ZSM‐5 Coatings on Monolithic Cordierite Substrate

ZSM‐5 coatings, have been synthesized onto a monolithic cordierite substrate by an environmental friendly and high coating selectivity method—Vapor Phase Transport (VPT). With this method, an aluminosilicate gel coated onto the monolithic cordierite substrate has been transformed into a ZSM‐5 layer under vapors of n‐butylamine and water, n‐Butylamine played a key role in the forming of ZSM‐5 layer on the cordierite substrate. The ZSM‐5/cordierite monolith composites prepared by this method were ion‐exchanged with Cu²⁺ and tested for the selective catalytic reduction of NO by propane. The deNO_x activities of Cu/ZSM‐5 monolith catalysts were not only dependent on the ion‐exchange methods, but also on the ZSM‐5 loading of the monolith catalysts. The best result was obtained over the Cu (B3)/ZSM‐5 monolith catalyst, which had a ZSM‐5 loading of about 13% and was prepared by a pressure exchange procedure. At a temperature of 723 K and a space velocity of 10,000 h^?1 (based on the monolith volume), 85% of NO conversion and 93% of C₃H₃ conversion were achieved over the Cu(B3)/ZSM‐5 monolith catalyst.     

STUDIES ON THE PERMEABILITY OF P VC/EBBA OVERLAPPED ULTRATHIN COMPOSITE MEMBRANES MODIFIED BY PLASMA-POLYMERIZATION WITH FLUOROCARBON MONOMERS

The PVC/EBBA ultrathin composite membranes with thickness of about 100 nm were prepared by spreading the solution on water surface. The overlapped composite membrane showed a characteristic aggregation structure in which the polymer matrix exists as a three-dimensional spongy network and the liquid crystal domains werc observed. Tne surface modification for the overlapped membranes was carried out by means of plasma-polymerization with the monomers of fluorocarbon compounds. Both Arrhenius plots of permeability coefficients for oxygen ((?)_O_2) in the membrane samples before and after modification showed significant increase in the vicinity of the T_(KN) of EBBA.     

Effect of Hydrohalogenation of Metal/Zeolite Catalysts for Cyclohexene Hydroconversion ‐Part 3‐ Pd/H‐ZSM‐5 Catalysts

Cyclohexene (CHE) hydroconversion was performed in a flow reactor at atmospheric pressure and temperatures of 50–400 °C using: Pd/H‐ZSM‐5, Pd/H‐ZSM‐5(HCl), and Pd/H‐ZSM‐5(HF) catalysts. These catalysts were characterized for acid site strength distribution via NH₃ TPD, Pd dispersion via H₂ chemisorption, TPR via reduction of the metal oxide in the catalysts and XRD for tracing crystallinity The hydroconversion steps proceeded as follows: CHE → Cyclohexane (CHA); CHE → Methylcyclopentenes (MCPEs) → Methylcyclopentane (MCPA); CHE → Cyclohexadienes (CHDEs) → Benzene → Alkylbenzenes; CHE and others → Hydrocrackedproducts. The overall hydroconversion of CHE was achieved in the catalyst order: Pd/H‐ZSM‐5 > Pd/H‐ZSM‐5(HF) > Pd/H‐ZSM‐5(HCl). CHE hydrogenation step was the major reaction at low temperatures which significantly inhibited via HCl treatment, but slightly enhanced via HF treatment. At medium temperatures, on all catalysts, isomerisation to MCPEs and MCPA increase to a maximum then a decline with a further increase of temperature. The overall isomerisation of CHE was highest on the untreated catalyst. During the higher temperature range, dehydrogenation, alkylation and hydrocracking were increased with temperature. Dehydrogenation of CHE always yielded larger amounts of 1,3‐CHDE than 1,4‐CHDE. These cyclohexadienes were produced in the catalyst order: Pd/H‐ZSM‐5(HF) > Pd/H‐ZSM‐5(HCl) > Pd/H‐ZSM‐5. In general, benzene alkylation to toluene exceeded that of xylenes, indicating that the second methylation is more difficult than the first. However, the catalytic activities for benzene and toluene production were in the order: Pd/H‐ZSM‐5 » Pd/H‐ZSM‐5(HCl) > Pd/H‐ZSM‐5(HF), whereas for xylenes production, Pd/H‐ZSM‐5 » Pd/H‐ZSM‐5(HF) > Pd/H‐ZSM‐5(HCl). Intrapore diffusion plays an important role during the dehydrogenation reactions as well as during the interconversion of individual aromatic hydrocarbons.     

Nanotechnological method to control the molecular weight cut-off and/or pore diameter of organic–inorganic composite membrane

Polyimide–alumina composite membranes were fabricated by the nanotechnological copolymerization method of co-polymer which has a constant repeating unit chemically bound by primer on the wall and/or surface of the porous ceramic support. By changing the number of repeating unit (n) in the polymer, the fabricated pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA)- diaminodiphenylether (ODA) composite membranes have separation factor α_CO2/CH4 in the range 1.0–6.4 and molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) ranging 400–4000. As for the composite membranes of n=20, the separation factor α_CO2/CH4 of the 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)-diphathalic anhydride (6FDA)-diaminodiphenylether (ODA) composite membrane was approximately 1.6 times larger than that of the PMDA–ODA composite membranes, and these values were 7.5 and 4.7 at 323 K, respectively. With the increase of temperature, the separation factor decreased, and the value obtained was 4.8 at 423 K. The pure gas permeances through the carbon membrane (PMDA–ODA: n=20) was approximately 75–260 times larger than the values through the PMDA–ODA (n=20) composite membranes. But this membrane did not show any gas separation ability.     

PREPARATION OF SILICALITE-1 AND ZSM-5 ZEOLITE/ CERAMIC COMPOSITE MEMBRANES

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Selective permeation of CO2 through poly 2-(N,N-dimethyl)aminoethyl methacrylate membrane prepared by plasma-graft polymerization technique

A membrane having an amine moiety was prepared by plasma-grafting 2-(N,N-dimethyl)aminoethyl methacrylate (DAMA) onto a microporous polyethylene substrate. Permselectivity of the membrane for CO₂ over N₂ was achieved in both dry and water swollen conditions. When the CO₂ partial pressure in the feed gas was 0.047 atm, the selectivity of CO₂ over N₂ reached 130 for the highly swollen water containing membrane. This value was found to agree with that obtained with a mobile carrier membrane (supported liquid membrane) using DAMA as the carrier. The effects of several experimental conditions such as degree of grafting, feed partial pressure and temperature on the membrane performance were studied. It was suggested that the membrane acted as a fixed carrier membrane for CO₂ facilitated transport in under the dry condition and acted as a fixed reaction site membrane in the water swollen condition. The carrier transport mechanism is discussed for dry and aqueous membranes.     

Novel proton-conductive nanochannel membranes with modified SiO2 nanospheres for direct methanol fuel cells

A novel approach is proposed to prepare a proton-conductive nanochannel membrane based on polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) porous membrane with modified SiO₂ nanospheres. The hydrophilic PVDF porous membrane with a 450-nm inner pore size was chosen as the supporting structure. Pristine SiO₂ with a uniform particle size of 95–110 nm was synthesized and functionalized with –NH₂ and –COOH, respectively. Through-plane channels of porous membrane and arranged functional nanoparticles in pores could contribute to constituting efficient proton transfer channels. The characteristics such as morphology, thermal stability, water uptake, dimensional swelling, proton conductivity and methanol permeability as proton exchange membranes, of the SiO₂ nanospheres, and the composite membrane were investigated. The formation of ionic channels in membrane enhanced the water uptakes and proton conduction abilities of the composite membranes. PVDF/Nafion/SiO₂–NH₂ exhibited superior proton conductivities (0.21 S cm^?1) over other samples due to several proton sites and the acid–base pairs formed between –NH₂ and –SO₃H. Furthermore, all the composite membranes exhibited improved methanol resistance compared with Nafion. Therefore, such a design based on porous membrane provided feasibility for high-performance proton exchange membrane in fuel cell applications.     

Properties of PWA/ZrO2-doped phosphosilicate glass composite membranes for low-temperature H2/O2 fuel cell applications

Phosphosilicate doped with a mixture of phosphotungstic acid and zirconium oxide (PWA/ZrO₂–P₂O₂–SiO₂) was investigated as potential glass composite membranes for use as H₂/O₂ fuel cell electrolytes. The glass membranes were studied with respect to their structural and thermal properties, proton conductivity, pore characteristics, hydrogen permeability, and performance in fuel cell tests. Thermal analysis including TG and DTA confirmed that the glass was thermally stable up to 400 °C. The dependence of the conductivity on the humidity was discussed based on the PWA content in the glass composite membranes. The proton transfer in the nanopores of the PWA/ZrO₂–P₂O₅–SiO₂ glasses was investigated and it was found that a glass with a pore size of ∼3 nm diameters was more appropriate for fast proton conduction. The hydrogen permeability rate was calculated at various temperatures, and was found to be comparatively higher than for membranes based on Nafion^®. The performance of a membrane electrolyte assembly (MEA) was influenced by its PWA content; a power density of 43 mW/cm² was obtained at 27 °C and 30% relative humidity for a PWA/ZrO₂–P₂O₅–SiO₂ glass membrane with a composition of 6–2–5–87 mol% and 0.2 mg/cm² of Pt/C loaded on the electrode.     

侧链型磺化聚芳醚酮/磺化聚乙烯醇复合型直接甲醇燃料电池用质子交换膜

通过溶液共混法制备了不同磺化聚乙烯醇(SPVA)含量的侧链型磺化聚芳醚酮/磺化聚乙烯醇(S-SPAEK/SPVA)复合膜. 应用红外光谱(FTIR)对复合膜进行了表征, 扫描电镜(SEM)显示SPVA均匀分布在复合膜中. 通过对复合膜的性能测试发现该系列复合膜具有良好的热性能、较高的吸水率和保水能力. SPVA中的羟基能有效地阻碍甲醇的透过, 甲醇渗透系数从S-SPAEK/SPVA5 复合膜的7.9×10^-7 cm²·s^-1降低到S-SPAEK/SPVA30的1.3×10^-7 cm²·s^-1, 比S-SPAEK膜的11.5×10^-7 cm²·s^-1降低了一个数量级. SPVA的引入增加了亲水基团数量, 增加了复合膜的吸水和保水能力, 有利于质子按照“Vehicle”机理和“Grotthuss”机理进行传递, 柔软的SPVA链段与S-SPAEK侧链聚集成亲水相区, 形成连续的质子传输通道, 提高了复合膜的质子传导率. 在25 和80℃ 时, S-SPAEK/SPVA30 复合膜的质子传导率分别达到了0.071 和0.095 S·cm^-1. 可见,S-SPAEK/SPVA复合膜有望在直接甲醇燃料电池中得到应用.     

Preparation and characterization of ternary composite films of polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Nano-TiO₂ with anionic surface active agent sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) modified, the poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate/TiO₂ composite films were prepared by method of solution blending representing. The structure of the films was analyzed by XRD and SEM. In addition, air permeability rate, swelling ratio, light transmittance, mechanical properties, and antibacterial properties were tested. The results showed that in compound membrane there was a strong force between poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate and TiO₂ particles, indicating that there was good compatibility between the sodium alginate and the poly(vinyl alcohol). The mixed membranes were of good water resistance, tensile strength, and closure. When the titanium dioxide content increased appropriately, they had very good mechanical properties. In addition, the antibacterial properties of composite membrane gradually increased with the increase in the TiO₂content.