Abstract & References Vol 26 No 3 (2022)

Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 26 No 3 (2022): 589 - 599

THE THERMAL STABILITY AND PRELIMINARY PERFORMANCE OF SODIUM ALGINATE AND POLYVINYL ALCOHOL-BASED MEMBRANE IN DMFC: MONTMORILLONITE AS A FILLER

(Kestabilan Haba dan Prestasi Awal Membran Berasaskan Natrium Alginat dan Polivinil Alkohol untuk DMFC: Montmorillonit sebagai Pengisi)

Maryam Taufiq Musaand Norazuwana Shaari*

Fuel Cell Institute,

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi,43600, Selangor, Malaysia

*Corresponding author: norazuwanashaari@ukm.edu.my

Received: 15 December 2021; Accepted: 24 March 2022; Published: 27 June 2022

Abstract

Biopolymer-based membranes have emerged vastly in recent years for fuel cell applications. Polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM) have become a major component in DMFC stacks that have gone through many studies beforehand. An improvement has been made to PEM, especially using biopolymers like alginate based. Sodium alginate (SA) has significant characteristics such as being too hydrophilic, which is its biggest weakness as a PEM. Blending it with another polymer of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and adding a clay filler of montmorillonite (MMT) would be a great solution, in this work. From TGA-DSC analysis, SA/PVA-MMT achieved different thermal stability as the filler content differed. The glass transition temperature of the membrane had increased as the MMT content increased, at a maximum range of 240-260 °C at 15 wt.% of MMT content. The membrane’s thermal stability ranking was then followed by 10 wt.% (250 °C) and 2 wt.% (240 °C) of filler content. The higher the glass transition temperature, the greater the thermal stability due to the greater mass loss after being exposed to a later heating. Meanwhile, for the proton conductivity test, a hybrid membrane of SA/PVA-MMT with SVM 20 (20 wt.% MMT) obtained the highest value of 8.0510 mS/cm, followed by SVM 10, SVM 2, SVM 15 and SVM 5 with values of 6.5025, 2.6429, 2.0332 and 1.6083 mS/cm respectively. Higher proton conductivity enables the potential of the hybrid to conduct electricity in DMFC. The lowest methanol uptake was shown by the membrane with 20 wt.% MMT content, with a value of 53.00%, followed by 15 wt.% (97.46%), 10 wt.% (121.59%), 5 wt.% (132.23%) and 2 wt.% (203.30%), respectively. Low methanol uptake of the membrane indicated that the DMFC stack could operate with high efficiency. This study showed that SA/PVA-MMT could be a promising choice of PEM with an optimum MMT content of 10 wt.% for a better performance produced by a cheaper hybridized membrane.

Keywords: alginate, polyvinyl alcohol, montmorillonite, copolymer membrane, thermal stability

Abstrak

Membran berasaskan biopolimer telah muncul secara meluas sejak kebelakangan tahun ini, dalam aplikasi sel fuel. Membran polimer elektrolit (PEM) telah menjadi komponen utama dalam tindanan DMFC, yang mana telah menjadi objek kajian berkali ganda sebelumnya. Satu penambahbaikan PEM telah dibuat khususnya menggunakan biopolimer alginat. Natrium Alginat (SA) mempunyai sifat signifikan iaitu terlalu hidrofili, yang mana ianya merupakan kelemahan terbesar sebagai PEM. Di dalam kajian ini, Natrium alginat (SA) akan dicampur bersama polivinil alkohol (PVA) dan montmorillonit (MMT), sejenis pengisi berasaskan tanah liat. Campuran ini telah menghasilkan prestasi yang amat baik. Daripada analisis TGA-DSC, SA/PVA-MMT telah mencapai kestabilan haba yang berbeza apabila kandungan pengisi turut berbeza. Suhu peralihan kaca membran tersebut bertambah apabila kandungan MMT dalam sampel juga bertambah, pada 15 wt.% MMT, maksima julat suhu dicapai ialah 240-260 ℃. Kestabilan haba membran ini kemudiannya diikuti dengan 10 wt.% (250 ℃) dan 2 wt.% (240 ℃) konten pengisi. Semakin tinggi suhu peralihan kaca, semakin tinggi kestabilan haba membran disebabkan jisim mula berkurang banyak pada suhu pemanasan yang tinggi (lebih lewat). Manakala untuk kekonduksian proton, SVM 20 (20 wt.% MMT) mendapat nilai tertinggi iaitu, 8.0510 mS/cm, diikuti dengan SVM 10, SVM 2, SVM 15 dan SVM 5 dengan nilaian 6.5025, 2.6429, 2.0332 dan 1.6083 mS/cm masing-masing. Tingginya nilai kekonduksian proton, semakin besarlah potensi membran hibrid tersebut untuk mengalirkan elektrik dalam DMFC. Ambilan metanol terendah dibuktikan oleh SVM 20 (20 wt.% MMT) dengan nilaian 53.00%, diikuti dengan 15 wt.% (97.46%), 10 wt.% (121.59%), 5 wt.% (132.23%) dan 2 wt% (203.30%) masing-masing. Hasil ambilan metanol yang rendah menunjukkan tindanan DMFC boleh beroperasi pada tahap keberkesanan yang tinggi. Kajian ini menyimpulkan bahawa SA/PVA-MMT boleh menjadi pilihan PEM yang terbaik, dengan kandungan MMT optimum pada 10 wt% beserta kos yang rendah untuk prestasi yang lebih baik.

Kata kunci: alginat, polivinil alkohol, montmorillonit, membran dwipolimer, kestabilan haba

Graphical Abstract

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