Sulfonated Polyarylene Ether Sulfone (SPES) and Ga2O3 Based Hybrid Polymer Electrolyte Membrane for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs)

Novel hybrid polymer electrolyte membrane, based on sulfonated polyarylene ether sulfone(SPES) and Ga₂O₃, was prepared and characterized. The structure of the composite membrane substantially modified the properties of SPES in terms of thermal stability, mechanical properties, methanol permeability, and so on. The structure and performance of the hybrid membrane were investigated by means of Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry(FTIR), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS), thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA), and water uptake(WU) test. The hybrid polymer electrolyte membrane containing a certain quantity of Ga₂O₃ was found to gain good proton transport characteristics, particularly at relatively high temperatures. In addition, this membrane reduced methanol permeability and improved thermal stability in comparison to an unfilled reference membrane. The hybrid membrane was found suitably to be used as a polymer electrolyte membrane(PEM) in direct methanol fuel cells(DMFCs).