Nafion membranes silica nanoparticles

Park CH, Kim HK, Lee CH, Park HB, Lee YM (2009) Nafion nanocomposite membranes effect of fluorosurfactants on hydrophobic silica nanoparticle dispersion and direct methanol fuel cell performance. J Power Sources 194 646-654... 

Tang, H., Wan, Z., Pan, M. and Jiang, S.P. 2007. Self-assembled Nafion-silica nanoparticles for elevated-high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. F.lp.ct.rnrhi>m. Commun. 9(8) 2003-2008. 

A composite membrane with 5 phr (parts per hundred resin) silica nanoparticles in SPPEK was incorporated into ME A and its performance was tested. An open cell potential of 0.6 V and an optimum power density of 52.9 mW cm" were obtained at a current density of 264.6 mA" which is better than the performance of Nafion 117. SPPEK membranes have better performance than Nafion 117 in terms of higher power density, ultimate current density, and higher optimal operating concentration of methanol in feed. 

Safronova, E.Y., Yaroslavtsev, A.B., Nafion-type membranes doped with silica nanoparticles with modified snrface. Solid State Ionics, 2012, 221, 6-10. 

Most of the reported inorganic fillers used to modify Nafion are composite where the inorganic particles (usually nanoparticles) are located in the membrane bulk. Most of them are prepared using the recast method, where the filler nanoparticles dispersed in a solvent are mixed with Nafion ionomer dispersion in the same solvent or a compatible one. The solution is cast on a Petri dish or a plane surface at high temperature to form the recast composite membrane. An alternative method adopted to prepare Nafion composites with silica [31, 32, 41, 95], functionalized silica [35], and zirconium and titanium phosphate [41], is the in situ sol-gel reaction method, schematized in Fig. 6.5. 

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