Development and characterization of anion exchange membranes for alkaline direct methanol fuel cell

In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based anion exchange membranes (AEM) for alkaline direct methanol fuel cells (ADMYH) were prepared by the solution casting method. Tartaric acid (TA) was used as a crosslinking agent and the conventional heating process was utilized to crosslink PVA. In the first stage, the most effective crosslinker ratio and heat treatment time were determined, and in the next stages, composites containing different ratios of fumed silica (FS) filler to deal with the methanol permeability problem and membranes modified with different ratios of cetrimide (CTAB) to increase ionic conductivity were prepared, respectively. Utilizing the best-performing ratios, the final product PVA-FS(x)-CTAB(y)-TA(z) was prepared. As a result of the FT-IR, water/alkaline uptake capacity, swelling ratio, XRD, TGA, ion exchange capacity, SEM, ionic conductivity, and methanol permeability characterizations, The suitability of the membranes for the fuel cell conditions was determined. Fuel cell tests of the membranes having successful properties were carried out at 30 and 60°C. Finally, the oxidative stability of the prepared membranes was investigated by the Fenton test, and information about the stability of the membranes under fuel cell operating conditions was obtained. It was seen that the PVA-based structures that were developed could be promising replacements for AEM when compared to studies in the literature.