A Novel Nano-composite Polymer Membrane based on Crosslinked Electrospun PVA/TiO2 for Alkaline DMFCs

A series of nano-composite polymer membranes based on poly(vinyl alcohol)/ titanium oxide (PVA/TiO2) were prepared by electrospinning technique. Electrospinning is an easy method for preparing polymer membranes which are made up of ultrafine fibers with diameters in the range of few nanometers to submicrometers. Glutaraldehyde (GA) was used as a cross linking agent in order to improve chemical, thermal and mechanical stabilities. The crosslinked PVA/TiO2 nano-composite polymer membranes were characterized by using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical techniques and n electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Results indicated that the thin nanocomposite polymers had good stability in alkaline solution at different temperatures under 80 oC. Samples investigations also demonstrated that the electrospinning technique is a powerful technique in order to control the thickness of the nano-fibers membranes and the porosity of membrane which are promising candidates in different applications such as DAFCs electrolyte, gas purification membrane, Electrolyzers membrane.