Utilization of cellulose-based carbon nanodots in sulfonated polysulfone based membrane for direct methanol fuel cell

Dian Permana, Lukman Atmaja*, Arif Priyangga, Yohana Ivana Kedang, Mardi Santoso

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Sulfonated polysulfone (SPS) composite membranes consisting of cellulose-based carbon nanodots (CNDs) were successfully prepared as a proton exchange membrane (PEM) for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) applications. The CNDs were prepared using the top-down hydrothermal method. The structure transformation from cellulose to CNDs was confirmed by the FTIR and XRD analysis. The particle size of CNDs was between 1 and 3 nm. The particles exhibited good optical properties. The incorporation of CND into matrix polymer increased the thermal stability of the membranes. Morphology analysis of the SPS/CND composite membranes revealed that CNDs had been successfully dispersed within the SPS polymer matrix. The cross-linking between SPS and CNDs enhanced the proton conductivity of the composite membranes compared to the pristine SPS membrane. The SPS/CND-1 (1 wt%) exhibited the highest selectivity with a proton conductivity of 35.5 mS.cm−1 and a methanol permeability of 3.50 × 10−6 cm2.s−1. The experimental results indicate that the incorporation of CNDs into the SPS membrane also decreased the amount of methanol that can pass through the membrane when used in DMFCs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)265-275
Number of pages11
JournalSouth African Journal of Chemical Engineering
Volume48
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2024

Keywords

  • Carbon nanodots
  • Cellulose
  • DMFC
  • Sulfonated polysulfone

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