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Modification And Evaluation Of Fuel Cell Membranes, Amol Prataprao Nalawade
Modification And Evaluation Of Fuel Cell Membranes, Amol Prataprao Nalawade
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The primary goals of this study were modification of existing Nafion® membranes and characterization of newly developed hydrocarbon-based membranes for high temperature fuel cell applications. Various Nafion®/silicate nanocomposites were formulated via in situ sol-gel reactions for tetraethylorthosilicate. Different silicate composition profiles generated across membrane cross-sections were investigated by EDAX/ESEM. Composite water uptake, proton conductivity and fuel cell performance were comparable to that of unmodified Nafion®. Tafel analysis showed better electrode kinetics for composites having more silicate in the middle and less or no silicate at electrolyte-electrode interfaces. All composites showed reduced fuel cross-over and superior …