Nonhlanhla P. Cele^1,2, Suprakas Sinha Ray^1 and Muzi Ndwandwe^2
^1National Centre for Nano-Structured Materials, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research,1-Meiring Naude Road, Brummeria, PO Box 395, Pretoria 0001, Republic of South Africa.
^2Derpartment of Physics and Engineering, University of Zululand, Private bag X 3886, Kwadlangezwa 1001, Republic of South Africa
Email: ncele@csir.co.za
Polymer nano-composites (PNCs) have recently shown the worldwide growth efforts in the fabrication of high temperature proton exchange membrane for fuel cells. In principle the nano-composites are an extreme case of composites in which case the interface interaction between two or more phases are maximised to obtain superior performance as compared to any of the bulk solid component. In PNCs, nano-meter-size particles of inorganic or organic materials are homogeneously dispersed as separate particles in a polymer matrix [1,2]. There is a wide variety of nano-particles that are blended with the Nafion membrane to generate new structures of materials to improve its properties for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications [3-5]. CNTs are considered as the most promising nano-fillers for the preparation of conducting and thermally stable polymer nano-composites, because of their excellent electrical conductivity, thermal and mechanical stability [6-9]. Nafion based nano-composite membranes were prepared with pure multi-walled carbon nano-tubes (PMWCNTs), oxidised MWCNTs (OMWCNTs) and functionalised MWCNTs (FMWCNTs) as fillers, to investigate the effect of multi-walled carbon nano-tubes on thermal stability and mechanical properties of the Nafion membranes. The results showed much improvement on thermal stability of prepared Nafion nano-composites compared to pure Nafion membrane with an addition of only 1% wt percent MWCNTs.
Video Content Length 15:93 Copyright ©2009 Cele et al
Video Content Length 15:93 Copyright ©2009 Cele et al
References
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[2] T. McNallya, P. Potschkeb, P. Halleyc and M. Murphyc, Polymer 46, 8222 (2005)
[3] M. Doyle, G. Rajendran in Handbook of Fuel Cell Fundamentals, (Eds. W. Vielstich, A. Lamm, H. A. Gasteiger) John Wiley & Sons , 3 (Part 3) (2003) 351 ISBN 978-0-471-49926-8
[4] C. Yang, P. Costamagna, S. Srinivasan, J. Benziger, A. B. Bocarsly, J. Power Sources 103, 1(2001)
[5] C. C. Li, G. Suna, S. Rena, J. Liu, Q. Wang, Z. Wu, Hai Sun, Wei Jin, J. Membrane Sci. 272, 50(2006)
[6] H. Cui, J. Ye, W. Zhang, J. Wang and F. Sheu, Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 577, 295 (2005)
[7] S. Banerjee, D. E. Curtin, J. Fluorine Chem. 125, 1211 (2004)
[8] J-M Thomassin, J. Kollar, G. Caldarella, A. Germain, R. Jerome, C. Detrembleur, Journal of Mebrane Science 303, 252 (2007)
[9] I. Alexandrou, E. Lioudakis, D. Delaportas, C. Z. Zhao, and A. Othonos, OAtube Nanotechnology 2, 108 (2009).
Citation:
N. P. Cele, S. S. Ray and M. Ndwandwe, OAtube Nanotechnology 2, 510 (2009). http://www.oatube.org/2009/05/npcele.html
