Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Anupam Das, Mousumi Hazarika, Balakondareddy Sana, Tushar Jana
Summary: The fabrication and design of proton conduction nanochannels within solid electrolyte materials is crucial for the development of efficient proton exchange membranes in fuel cells. In this study, a melamine-based Schiff base network type porous covalent organic framework (MCOF) was synthesized and impregnated with phosphoric acid (H3PO4) to create a stable membrane. Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were also fabricated using P@MCOF as nanofillers and [2,2'-(m-phenylene)-5,5'-benzimidazole] or m-PBI as the membrane forming polymer matrix. The resulting MMM-based PEM showed superior proton conductivity, excellent thermal and mechanical properties, improved acid holding efficiency, and enhanced chemical stability.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Dongming Cheng, Mengxi Wei, Bo Li, Zhixin Gao, Yong-Hui Wang, Hong-Ying Zang, Yang-Guang Li
Summary: This study developed a simple and feasible method to synthesize a new proton-conductive material, amorphous chromium oxyhydroxide (CrO(OH)·xH2O), with high water absorption and ultra-high proton conductivity. Applying CrO(OH)·xH2O to proton exchange membranes showed proton conductivity comparable to Nafion, indicating a promising new pathway for efficient proton conductors using metal oxyhydroxides.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Jin -Yang Zheng, Hong-Ping Zheng, Guang -Dong Qi, Jun -Rong An, Ya-Pan Wu, Yun-Ling Liu, Wen -Wen Dong, Jun Zhao, Dong-Sheng Li
Summary: Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and polymer composite membranes have shown great potential as tunable proton-conducting materials in the field of fuel cells (FCs). This study successfully introduced a Cu(II)-based MOF into poly(vinylpyrrolidone)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVP/PVDF) to fabricate hybrid membranes. Cu-MOF@PP-50 exhibited significantly higher proton conductivity compared to the parent Cu-MOF.
JOURNAL OF SOLID STATE CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Houpeng Wang, Zhaoxiang Xu, Wei Lin, Xue Yang, Xianrui Gu, Wei Zhu, Zhongbin Zhuang
Summary: The impeded mass transfer rate by gas bubbles generated on-site significantly reduces the energy conversion efficiency of the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer. This study demonstrates that a surfactant-assistant method can accelerate the detachment of nano/micro-bubbles and the mass transfer rate, leading to an increase in overall efficiency. One specific surfactant, potassium perfluorobutyl sulfonate, shows significant promotion of activity and stability for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction in acidic medium, especially at high current density region.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Houpeng Wang, Zhaoxiang Xu, Wei Lin, Xue Yang, Xianrui Gu, Wei Zhu, Zhongbin Zhuang
Summary: In this study, a surfactant-assisted method is reported to accelerate the detachment of nano/micro-bubbles and promote the mass transfer rate by reducing surface tension, leading to an increase in energy conversion efficiency of the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE). Among the studied surfactants, only potassium perfluorobutyl sulfonate (PPFBS) showed significant activity and stability enhancement for both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER) in the acidic medium at high current density. The addition of PPFBS reduced the HER overpotential by 22% at 0.1 A·cm(-2) and increased the current density by 31% at -0.4 V.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matteo Di Virgilio, Andrea Basso Peressut, Angelo Pontoglio, Saverio Latorrata, Giovanni Dotelli
Summary: The combination of polybenzimidazole (PBI) and graphene oxide (GO) for membrane manufacturing is gaining popularity due to their versatility. This study proposes a simple and reproducible procedure to prepare self-assembling GO/PBI composite membranes. The composites showed a homogenous dispersion of GO and PBI and demonstrated improved thermal stability and mechanical strength compared to pure PBI. Preliminary evaluation also showed that the GO/PBI composites performed equivalently or better than state-of-the-art PBI-based materials for proton exchange membranes.
Article
Materials Science, Paper & Wood
Meng Wang, Liyuan Wang, Nanping Deng, Xiaoxiao Wang, Hengying Xiang, Bowen Cheng, Weimin Kang
Summary: In this study, a unique multi-scale nanofiber membrane prepared by electrospinning with the addition of tetrabutylammonium chloride (TBAC) was successfully applied as effective conductive fillers in Nafion membranes for proton exchange. The multi-scale nanofiber composite membranes showed improved proton conductivity and reduced methanol permeability, attributed to the hierarchical long-range channels for proton conducting and the hindrance of methanol penetration provided by the cross-linked nanofiber network. Additionally, the formation of effective acid-base pairs in the composite membrane facilitated proton hopping and enhanced proton conducting behavior.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xiao-Shuai Guo, Min Chen, Ze-Kun Zhang, Jun-Ting Xu, Hanying Li
Summary: Conjugated polymers are ideal materials for next-generation soft and wearable electronics. A protocol for fabricating stretchable semiconducting films by blending poly(3-dodecylthiophene) with a flexible copolymer has been proposed, leading to improved electrical and mechanical properties.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Hossein Namdar, Ali Akbari, Reza Yegani, Hossein Roghani-Mamaqani
Summary: Incorporating Asp-functionalized GO nanolayers into PVC nanocomposite membranes showed improved membrane flux, Cr removal efficiency, and fouling resistance. The electrostatic interaction between Cr and HA molecules played a significant role in membrane fouling and cleaning, with the formation of large HA-Cr complexes enhancing Cr removal through membrane filtration.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ying Wan, Chen Lin, Yanan Li, Ren Wang, Wei Feng, Zhengxing Chen, Tao Wang, Xiaohu Luo, Xiping Wu
Summary: Protein-polysaccharide interactions can generate novel structures and functionalities. In this study, by mixing rice proteins (RP) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) at pH 12.0 and then neutralizing, protein-polysaccharide complexes (RCs) with controllable functionalities were formed. The water dispersibility and structure of the RCs were influenced by the degree of substitution (DS) and molecular weight (Mw) of CMC.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Na Rae Kang, Thanh Huong Pham, Hannes Nederstedt, Patric Jannasch
Summary: Phosphonated aromatic polymers functionalized with highly acidic perfluorophenylphosphonic acid show high conductivity, efficient ionic clustering, excellent proton conductivity, and outstanding thermal stability, making them attractive for applications in catalyst layers and proton exchange membranes.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Anna M. Kalde, Johannes Lohaus, Stephan Musholt, Matthias Wessling
Summary: This study systematically investigated the fouling and backwashing of anionic polystyrene particles in microfluidic structures with engineered surface charge and hydrophilicity. The results confirmed that increasing the hydrophilicity of the membrane can reduce fouling, but hydrophilicity alone is not a sufficient measure to predict particle deposition and removal behavior. Designing a hydrophilic membrane with an engineered surface charge is crucial for achieving a low-fouling membrane that can be cleaned effectively during backwashing with pure flow reversal.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Igor I. Ponomarev, Dmitry Y. Razorenov, Ivan I. Ponomarev, Yulia A. Volkova, Kirill M. Skupov, Anna A. Lysova, Andrey B. Yaroslavtsev, Alexander D. Modestov, Mikhail I. Buzin, Zinaida S. Klemenkova
Summary: This study introduces a new synthetic method for preparing an environmentally safe polybenzimidazole proton-conducting membrane with excellent performance, which has been successfully applied in high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Compared with existing methods, this approach can reduce negative environmental impact.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Xiao-Min Li, Yameng Wang, Yongbiao Mu, Jiang Liu, Lin Zeng, Ya-Qian Lan
Summary: The study successfully synthesized a composite material with polyoxometalate and an ionic liquid confined in metal-organic framework channels through electrostatic interaction at ambient conditions. The obtained material exhibits fast proton transfer and high proton conductivity, which makes it a potential room-temperature proton conductor without a humidifier. Furthermore, the material can be fabricated into a composite membrane for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, showing promising power density.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Amitosh Sharma, Jaewoong Lim, Seonghwan Lee, Seungwan Han, Junmo Seong, Seung Bin Baek, Myoung Soo Lah
Summary: Researchers report the achievement of superprotonic conductivity using moderately acidic guest sulfamic acid (HSA) encapsulated in MOF-808 and MIL-101. These MOFs demonstrate impressive superprotonic conductivity at high temperature and humidity conditions, and maintain stability for a week.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Composites
J. B. Arul Joseph Helen Therese, K. Selvakumar, R. Gayathri, M. Ramesh Prabhu, P. Sivakumar
Summary: Composite membranes based on SPEEK/PMA were prepared and modified with PANI, showing improved proton conductivity. AFM images indicated better compatibility between hetero polyacids and SPEEK matrix. SPEEKs/PMAs-PANI membranes could be a promising material for DMFC applications due to their high thermal stability and proton conductivity.
JOURNAL OF THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITE MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Electrochemistry
K. Raja, M. Raja Pugalenthi, M. Ramesh Prabhu
JOURNAL OF SOLID STATE ELECTROCHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Karuppusamy Raja, Mariappan Raja Pugalenthi, Manimuthu Ramesh Prabhu
Summary: By acid-base blending and loading BaCeO3 nanoparticles, the membrane shows enhanced stability and improved performance, including conductivity and power density. The blended membrane exhibits high voltage retention and low voltage degradation in durability study.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
K. Selva Kumar, M. Ramesh Prabhu
Summary: Polybenzimidazole (PBI) -sulfonated nano titania (S-TiO2) polymer composite membranes were prepared by solvent casting technique for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cells, which exhibited good thermal stability and high proton conductivity, showing potential application prospects.
MACROMOLECULAR RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
M. Raja Pugalenthi, M. Ramesh Prabhu
Summary: By electrospinning, nanofiber mats of SPEEK/SFN composites were produced with dual interfacial sites for high proton transporting pathways. The interfacial sites provide strong electrostatic attraction, improving structural stability by controlling polymer chain movement, and creating well-interconnected channels for ultrafast proton migration.
JOURNAL OF THE TAIWAN INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Raja M. Pugalenthi, Ramesh Prabhu Manimuthu
Summary: By synthesizing polydopamine-coated calcium zirconate nanoparticles and dispersing them in a hydroxylated sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) matrix, a nanohybrid combination (SPEEK-DCZT) was successfully prepared. This nanocomposite membrane showed improved dispersion and enhanced compatibility in the polymer matrix, leading to superior conductivity and thermomechanical properties.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Gayathri Ravi Kumar, Cao Guozhong, Ramesh Prabhu Manimuthu
Summary: The sandwich structure of proton exchange membrane (PEM) made of sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) (SPES) and sulfonic acid functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (SMWCNT) enhances proton conductivity and mechanical properties, exhibiting high thermal stability and promising nature for fuel cell applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
G. Maheshwaran, C. Selvi, R. Kaliammal, M. Ramesh Prabhu, M. Krishna Kumar, S. Sudhahar
Summary: The Cr2O3-NiO NC synthesized by hydrothermal method showed superior electrochemical performance with higher specific capacitance and lower resistance. The electrode material exhibited good stability and reversibility, maintaining 87.7% capacitance retention even after 2000 cycles.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Z. Mohamed Riyas, R. Gayathri, M. Ramesh Prabhu, K. Velsankar, S. Sudhahar
Summary: Eco-friendly synthesis of Mg-doped ZnO nanoparticles using Ficus religiosa leaf extract was successfully achieved, and the nanoparticles showed good thermal stability and biomedical properties.
CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Gayathri Ravi Kumar, Raja M. Pugalenthi, Guozhong Cao, Ramesh Prabhu Manimuthu
Summary: In this study, high-performing porous sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) (PSPES) nanocomposite membranes with excellent proton conductivity and stability were synthesized via modified non-solvent-induced phase inversion. The inclusion of hydroxylated boron nitride (HBN) in the membrane resulted in the formation of proton transport bridge and continuous proton transfer channels, leading to improved current and power density, as well as reduced membrane degradation.
Article
Electrochemistry
Maheshwaran Girirajan, Nivedhitha Bharathi Alagarsamy, Kaliammal Ramachandran, Ramesh Prabhu Manimuthu, Devendran Pazhanivel, Krishna Kumar Muthusamy, Sudhahar Sakkarapani
Summary: In this study, bismuthene nanosheets with unique quantum chemistry, tunable interlayer bandgap, and active functional groups were successfully synthesized using the standard liquid phase exfoliation technique. The crystal structure, surface nature, stacking, and electrochemical properties of the bismuthene nanosheets were thoroughly characterized by various techniques including XRD, FTIR, HR-TEM, AFM, CV, and Trasatti and Dunn's approach. The results demonstrated the potential of bismuthene nanosheets for enhanced electrochemical behavior and energy storage applications, as evidenced by their high gravimetric capacity, capacity distribution, and asymmetric supercapacitor performance.
ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Z. Mohamed Riyas, C. Priya, R. Premila, G. Maheshwaran, S. Sudhahar, M. Ramesh Prabhu
Summary: Global economic growth and rapid industrial development have led to a severe energy problem, necessitating the search for alternative and sustainable energy sources. Supercapacitors are among the most important energy storage devices, and the development of high-performance supercapacitor electrodes is currently a major research topic. This study presents the hydrothermal research results on rare earth-based La2O3-NiO-based electrodes for electrochemical supercapacitor applications, demonstrating their excellent performance.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY STORAGE
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
S. Thirbika, H. Karthi, R. Premila, M. Ramesh Prabhu
Summary: Nickel oxide nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using aqueous leaf extract from Lemongrass, showing promising antibacterial properties based on physical and biological characterizations.
MATERIALS TODAY-PROCEEDINGS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
M. Raja Pugalenthi, R. Gayathri, Guozhong Cao, M. Ramesh Prabhu
Summary: The cation exchange membrane is fabricated by assembling synthetic acid-base pairs in the composite matrix. Adding AH-BN into the SPEEK-PES enhances conductivity and power density, with excellent chemical stability and high residual weight.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Composites
Kanakaraj Selvakumar, Ae Rhan Kim, Manimuthu Ramesh Prabhu, Dong Jin Yoo
Summary: A series of novel PBI/SrTiO3 nanocomposite membranes were fabricated using a solution casting method, with the optimized PBI/SrTiO3-8 composite membrane containing 8wt% SrTiO3 showing higher proton conductivity and thermal stability, making it a potential candidate for high-temperature PEM fuel cell applications.
COMPOSITES RESEARCH
(2021)
