Impact of Mesoporous and Microporous Materials on Performance of Nafion and SPEEK Polymer Electrolytes: A Comparative Study in DEFCs

Abstract Hybrid membranes are prepared from fluoro and non‐fluoro polymer membrane matrices with mesoporous and microporous inorganic materials. Nafion‐Si‐MSU‐F, Nafion‐Al‐MCM‐41, and zeolite 4A‐SPEEK‐MSA hybrid membranes are fabricated by solution casting method. The structural properties of the membranes are characterized using FE‐SEM and AFM techniques. Ion exchange capacity, sorption, proton conductivity, and thermal stability for the membranes have been extensively investigated. Ethanol permeability measurements for the membranes are performed using electrochemical as well as diffusion cell method. Among the membranes that are tested in direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs), Nafion‐Al‐MCM‐41 hybrid membrane delivered the highest peak power‐density of 44 mW cm –2 at 70 °C.