Composite Membrane Based on Modified Chitosan and Bentonite Filler for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Application

Composite Membrane Based on Modified Chitosan and Bentonite Filler for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Application

DMFC is a type of fuel cell that can be carried around and used to power daily activities, potentially replacing fossil fuels as the primary energy source. DMFC regulates similarly to electrochemical cells by using a separator known as a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM). The main feature of PEM is that it prevents electrons and reactants from passing between the electrodes while acting as a proton conductor. PEM’s main properties for DMFCs are high proton conductivity and low methanol permeability. Because of the widespread methanol crossover problem in commercially available Nafion membranes, this study will investigate the ability and optimal composition of the chitosan-vanillin membrane with the silica-rich bentonite filler. The pristine chitosan was modified with vanillin to improve the organic–inorganic interfacial morphology. The chitosan vanillin (CV) was mixed with bentonite filler in an acetic solution to produce CV-B composite membrane with a phase inversion technique. FTIR and ATR analysis showed that bentonite fillers were successfully intercalated in the CV matrix. Water and methanol uptake, ion exchange capacity, methanol permeability, and photon conductivity were all measured to assess the performance of the membrane. CV-B 10 and CV-B 20 had the highest proton conductivity and methanol permeability, with values of 0.16 S/cm and 7.03 x 10-5 cm2/s, respectively. The performance test results show that the membrane has promising applications as electrolyte membrane for direct methanol fuel cell applications.