Fabrication of Silane-crosslinked Proton Exchange Membranes by Radiation and Evaluation of Fuel Cell Performance

Abstract

본 연구에서는 다양한 조성의 스티렌(styrene, St)과 3-(trimethoxy)propyl methacrylate(TMSPM)를 poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene)(ETFE) 필름에 방사선 동시조사법으로 그래프트시킨 후 졸-젤 반응 및 설폰화 반응을 진행하여 실란 가교된 유/무기 복합막을 제조하였다. 졸-젤 반응을 통해 형성된 실란 가교 구조는 Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) 및 thermo gravimetric analysis(TGA)를 사용하여 관찰하였다. 설폰화 관능기를 도입하여 막을 제조한 후 유사한 이온교환용량을 가지면서 TMSPM의 함량이 다른 연료전지막을 선별하여 함수율, 치수 안정성, 수소이온전도도 등의 물성을 측정하였다. 또한 제조된 유/무기 복합막을 이용하여 membrane electrode assemblies(MEA)를 제조한 후 단위전지 성능을 평가하였다. In this study, silane-crosslinked organic/inorganic composite membranes were prepared by simultaneous irradiation grafting of binary monomer mixtures (styrene and 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TMSPM)) with various compositions onto a poly(ethylene-alt-tetraethylene) (ETFE) film and followed by sol-gel processing and sulfonation to provide a silane-crosslinked structure and a proton conducting ability, respectively. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and therm gravimetric analysis (TGA) were utilized to confirm the crosslinking of ETFE-g-PS/PTMSPM films. The prepared membranes with similar ion exchange capacity but a different TMSPM content were selected and their membrane properties were compared. The ETFE-g-PSSA/PTMSPM membranes were characterized by water uptake, dimensional stability, and proton conductivity after sulfonation. The membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) of the prepared membranes were fabricated and their single cell performances were measured.