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. 2020 Aug 28;10(9):208.
doi: 10.3390/membranes10090208.

Immobilisation and Release of Radical Scavengers on Nanoclays for Chemical Reinforcement of Proton Exchange Membranes

Alia Akrout  1 , Aude Delrue  1 , Marta Zatoń  1 , Fanny Duquet  1 , Francesco Spanu  1 , Mélanie Taillades-Jacquin  1 , Sara Cavaliere  1   2 , Deborah Jones  1 , Jacques Rozière  1
Affiliations

Immobilisation and Release of Radical Scavengers on Nanoclays for Chemical Reinforcement of Proton Exchange Membranes

Alia Akrout et al. Membranes (Basel). .

Abstract

Mechanical and chemical stability of proton exchange membranes are crucial requirements for the development of fuel cells for durable energy conversion. To tackle this challenge, bi-functional nanoclays grafted with amino groups and with embedded radical scavengers, that is, CeO2 nanoparticles were incorporated into Aquivion® ionomer. The composite membranes presented high proton conductivity and increased stability to radical attack compared to non-modified Aquivion membranes, demonstrating the effectiveness of the approach based on radical scavenger immobilisation and release from clay nanocontainers.

Keywords: cerium oxide; halloysite; proton exchange membrane fuel cells; radical scavengers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) (a) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) (b) corresponding distribution histograms of length (c) lumen internal diameter (d) and outer diameter (e).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra of HNTs, acid-treated HNTs, HNT-NH2-and CeO2@HNT-NH2 (a). In (b) is represented the enlarged 4000–2500 cm−1 region.
Figure 3
Figure 3
29Si NMR spectrum of HNT-NH2.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Histogram of the fluoride concentration released after 4 h in the Fenton reaction for the Aquivion® membrane (without added Fe) (a) and composite membranes comprising untreated HNT (0.34 wt% Fe) (b) and acid-treated HNTs (0.23 wt% Fe) (c) and Aquivion® membrane (with 0.23% of Fe added as (NH4)2Fe(SO4)2(H2O)6) (d).
Figure 5
Figure 5
SEM images of the cross section of composite membrane with Aquivion® loaded with 10 wt% HNT (a,c) and HNT-NH2 (b,d).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Proton conductivity measurements at 90 °C at different RH of pristine Aquivion® membrane (a), composite membrane with 10 wt% loading of HNT (b) and 10 wt% loading of HNT-NH2 (c).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Fluoride Emission Rate (FER) as a function of time (A) and in-plane proton conductivity at 90 °C as a function relative humidity (B) of composite membranes loaded with different amounts of CeO2@HNT-NH2 corresponding to the following Ce/HSO3− ratios: 1% (b), 2% (c), 2.5% (d), 5% (e) and comparison with the pristine Aquivion® membrane (a).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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