Green synthesis of polyvinyl-alcohol- montmorillonite clay cation exchange membrane for alkaline direct methanol fuel cell

The present study looked into a sustainable approach for synthesizing sodium ion con-ducting cation exchange membrane, in addition to addressing the methanol permeability, ionic conductivity, and cost of the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based sodium ion conducting membranes were synthesized by the sustainable modified phase inversion technique using a green nonsolvent coagulation bath composed of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfate. Alkaline medium operating sulfonated polyvinyl alcohol (SPVA)-montmorillonite clay (MMT) was developed to overcome the drawbacks of a proton exchange membrane working in an acidic medium and an anion exchange mem-brane used in an alkaline medium. The SPVA-MMT membrane exhibited ionic conductivity of 0.0751 S cm -1 due to the presence of inorganic salts in the coagulation bath and the cation exchange capacity of the clays. Passive alkaline DMFC studies conducted using SPVA-MMT membrane showed a peak power density of 7.51 mW cm -2 at ambient conditions.(c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.