Boric acid doped into sulfonated polystyrene used as polymer electrolytes in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

BORIC ACID DOPED INTO SULFONATED POLYSTYRENEUSED AS POLYMER ELECTROLYTESIN A PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELL(M.Sc. Thesis)Akif DEMİRCİGAZI UNIVERSTYINSTITUTE OF SCINCE AND TECHNOLOGYOctober 2006ABSTRACTFuel cells offer the tantalizing promise of cleaner electricity with lessenviromental impact than conventional energy conversiontechnologies. The membranes used in the present fuel cells areexpensive and available only in limited ranges of thickness and spesificionic conductivity. There is a need to lower the cost of the presentmembranes and to investigate lower cost membranes that exhibit lowresistivity. This is particularly important for transportation applicationswhere high current density operation is needed. Cheaper membranespromote lower cost Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC)and thinner membranes with lower resistivities could contribute topower density improvements. In this study, alternative membranes forPEMFC were investigated. Polystyrene were prepared as polymerelectrolytes for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Preparedpolystyrene was converted into proton exchange polymers bysulfonation with acetylsulfate.And then boric acid dopped to this polymer. Prepared membrane?swater uptake, ion exchange and proton conductivitiy prroperties weremeasured as % 44, 1,35 meq/g and 6,3 × 10 -6 S/cm.Science Code :603.02.01Key Words :PEM, Composite membrane, Membrane synthesis,:Polystyrene membranePage Number :89Adviser : Doç. Dr. İrfan Ar