Improving the direct methanol fuel cell performance with poly(vinyl alcohol)/titanium dioxide nanocomposites as a novel electrolyte additive |
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Authors: | Shadpour Mallakpour Mohammad Zhiani Abdolvahid Barati Hussein Rostami |
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Affiliation: | 1. Organic Polymer Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Islamic Republic of Iran;2. Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Institute, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Islamic Republic of Iran;3. Department of Chemistry, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Islamic Republic of Iran |
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Abstract: | The present investigation deals with the fabrication of new poly(vinyl alcohol)/titanium dioxide (PVA/TiO2) nanocomposites (NCs) with different titanium dioxide (TiO2) loading by using ultrasound irradiation. For the improvement of nanoparticles (NPs) dispersion and increasing possible interactions between NPs and PVA, the surface of TiO2 NPs was modified by γ-aminopropyltriethoxy silane. The as-prepared NCs were characterized by spectroscopic, thermogravimetric analysis and electron microscopy methods. The results demonstrate that NPs dispersed homogeneously within the PVA matrix on nanoscale, which could be assigned to the hydrogen and covalent bonds formed between PVA and NPs. The results indicated that heat stability of NCs was improved in the presence of modified TiO2 NPs. The mechanisms of surface modification and a possible mechanism of ultrasonic induced interaction between polymer and NPs have been analyzed. |
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Keywords: | Direct methanol fuel cell Electrolyte additive Nanocomposite Poly(vinyl alcohol) Nanoparticles Ultrasonic irradiation |
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