Immobilisation and Release of Radical Scavengers on Nanoclays for Chemical Reinforcement of Proton Exchange Membranes
Alia Akrout,
Aude Delrue,
Marta Zatoń,
Fanny Duquet,
Francesco Spanu,
Mélanie Taillades-Jacquin,
Sara Cavaliere,
Deborah Jones,
Jacques Rozière
Affiliations
Alia Akrout
Institute Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR CNRS 5253, Aggregates Interfaces and Materials for Energy, University of Montpellier, CEDEX 5, 34095 Montpellier, France
Aude Delrue
Institute Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR CNRS 5253, Aggregates Interfaces and Materials for Energy, University of Montpellier, CEDEX 5, 34095 Montpellier, France
Marta Zatoń
Institute Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR CNRS 5253, Aggregates Interfaces and Materials for Energy, University of Montpellier, CEDEX 5, 34095 Montpellier, France
Fanny Duquet
Institute Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR CNRS 5253, Aggregates Interfaces and Materials for Energy, University of Montpellier, CEDEX 5, 34095 Montpellier, France
Francesco Spanu
Institute Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR CNRS 5253, Aggregates Interfaces and Materials for Energy, University of Montpellier, CEDEX 5, 34095 Montpellier, France
Mélanie Taillades-Jacquin
Institute Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR CNRS 5253, Aggregates Interfaces and Materials for Energy, University of Montpellier, CEDEX 5, 34095 Montpellier, France
Sara Cavaliere
Institute Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR CNRS 5253, Aggregates Interfaces and Materials for Energy, University of Montpellier, CEDEX 5, 34095 Montpellier, France
Deborah Jones
Institute Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR CNRS 5253, Aggregates Interfaces and Materials for Energy, University of Montpellier, CEDEX 5, 34095 Montpellier, France
Jacques Rozière
Institute Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR CNRS 5253, Aggregates Interfaces and Materials for Energy, University of Montpellier, CEDEX 5, 34095 Montpellier, France
Mechanical and chemical stability of proton exchange membranes are crucial requirements for the development of fuel cells for durable energy conversion. To tackle this challenge, bi-functional nanoclays grafted with amino groups and with embedded radical scavengers, that is, CeO2 nanoparticles were incorporated into Aquivion® ionomer. The composite membranes presented high proton conductivity and increased stability to radical attack compared to non-modified Aquivion membranes, demonstrating the effectiveness of the approach based on radical scavenger immobilisation and release from clay nanocontainers.
