Abstract:
Composite film fabricated from 5 mol% antimony in titanium dioxide powder and polymers, Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) blends are a new challenge in proton exchange membrane fuel cells to substitute for Nafion. The ceramic was prepared via the sol-gel method and calcined at 500 °C The anatase structure of antimony modified titania was investigated by XRD. The presence of antimony in titania provides higher porosity and higher specific surface area. The composite membranes were fabricated by solvent casting using DMF as a solvent. These membranes were evaluated for their potential use as an electrolyte in PEMFCs by using impedance spectroscopy, water uptake, TGA, and a Lloyd Universal Testing Machine. The results showed that the impedance and the percentage of water uptake of PVDF composite membranes were improved by blending with PAN and higher contents of 5 mol% Sb-doped TiO₂.
