Premium
Quaternized chitosan/functionalized carbon nanotubes composite anion exchange membranes
Author(s) -
Jang ShinCheng,
Chuang FuSheng,
Tsen WenChin,
Kuo TingWei
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.47778
Subject(s) - membrane , materials science , carbon nanotube , polyelectrolyte , chitosan , ion exchange , composite number , chemical engineering , hydroxide , dispersion (optics) , ultimate tensile strength , ionic bonding , ionic conductivity , electrolyte , composite material , polymer chemistry , polymer , ion , chemistry , organic chemistry , electrode , biochemistry , physics , optics , engineering
Natural alkaline polyelectrolyte chitosan has been considered to be a promising anion exchange membrane (AEM) material due to its low cost and easy quaternization. To further improve the ionic conductivity and mechanical property of quaternized chitosan (QCS), QCS functionalized carbon nanotubes (QCS@CNTs) were prepared and used as a novel nanofiller to modify the membrane matrix. The QCS coating layer on the surface of CNTs can not only improve the dispersion of CNTs and thus promote the load transfer from the QCS matrix to stiff CNTs, but also endow CNTs with a certain hydroxide ions exchange ability. The results show that the addition of QCS@CNTs slightly decreased the ionic conductivity of the composite membranes while the tensile strength and alkaline stability of these membranes were significantly improved, indicating the potential application of these composite membranes in AEM fuel cells. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 47778.