The application of Poly (vinyl alcohol)/carbonnanotube composite in Methanol Fuel cell

The energy problems are serious topic this days. The fuel cell is a potential energy in the future, because people get the fuel-methanol easily, and the cell is light, easy to take, and we won’t make any pollution to the environment.

In this research, we used sulfuric acid and nitric acid to make the carbon nanotube sulfonated. The wall of tube are full of sulfonated bonds, and we solved the tube into water with ultra-sonic vibration. Than we solve the nanotube into PVA/PSSNa solution, and pull the solution into plastic dish. After drying , the solution change into membrane, we put the membrane in hydrochloric acid/glutaraldehyde/acetone solution, in order to make the polymer membrane cross-linked. Than we put the cross-linked membrane in hydrochloric acid.

The membrane was analysed , included water consist, ion conductivity, methanol permeation, tensile strength, and cell test. The membrane ion conductivity was improve with adding PSSNa, and decrease the resistance of ion conduction. The ultimate strength and water consist of membrane was improved with adding carbon nanotube and decrease the methanol permeation. In fuel cell testing, the fuel efficiency was increase to 99％ with adding carbon nanotube. The cell efficiency is 18%, with low cost.