Paper Title
Improved Electrochemical and Mechanical Properties of Poly(vinylpyrrolidone)/Nafion® Membrane for Fuel Cell Applications
Abstract
These instructions give you guidelines for preparing papers for the International conference ICCSE). Use this document as a template if you are using Microsoft Office Word 6.0 or later. Otherwise, use this document as an instruction set. The electronic file of your paper will be formatted further at International Journal of Computer Theory and Engineering. Define all symbols used in the abstract. Do not cite references in the abstract. Do not delete the blank line immediately above the abstract; it sets the footnote at the bottom of this column. A novel blend of membranes made of Nafion®, and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) was prepared and characterized to investigate its applicability in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In addition to being effectively proton conductive, the membranes exhibited better mechanical strength, chemical stability, and adequate water retention ability, as well as ion exchange capacity comparable to that of cast Nafion® membrane. The data obtained from an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) fitting of the fuel cells revealed the membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) made of 0.5 wt. % PVP/Nafion® had lower ohmic, and charge transfer resistance compared with that of the Nafion® membrane. The intermolecular interactions and morphology of these membranes were assessed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The results of the performance curve indicate that the introduction of PVP as a modifier played a vital role in improving membrane performance. Accordingly, this solution-casted polymer electrolyte membrane with suitable PVP content offers a simple way to improve electrochemical, mechanical, and chemical properties, and thereby promises the prospect of use in low-temperature PEMFCs.
Index Terms - Durability, Mechanical Properties, Nafion, Pemfc, Proton Conductivity, Pvp.