Synthèse et caractérisation des membranes protoniques à base de polymère pour les piles à combustibles

Abstract

The synthesis and characterization of new proton conduction membranes, for proton exchange membrane fuel cells, have been carried out. Two types of membranes were prepared: first by using the combination of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with polystyrene sulfonate (PSSNa), while the second membrane was made by mixing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with methyl tri-octyl ammonium chloride (MTOA). The PVA/PSSNa and PVC-MTOA membranes were synthesized by solution casting method. The PEMs were incorporated into the air cathode to form a Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) to promote electricity generation. The effects of different parameters on the electric current production of air-cathode microbial fuel cells were investigated in this work. The single-chamber microbial fuel cell was equipped by modifying Proton Exchange Membranes (PEMs). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Ultraviolet Visible Spectroscopy (UV), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and contact angle with water (CA) were used as characterization techniques to explore membrane structure and properties. The synthesized membranes have good structural properties, ionic conductivities and sufficient chemical stability to be used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The performance and electrical capacitance of the real time microbial fuel cell was exploited using an external 5kΩ resistor. Impedance and resistive capacitance were determined by the bias method. On the other hand, a variety of external resistors was used to follow the effects of different parameters on the electric current production of microbial fuel cells.