New composite membrane poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide for direct ethanol–proton exchange membrane fuel cell

ABSTRACT This study investigated a simple synthesis of a crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol)/ graphene oxide composite membrane with lower ethanol permeability membrane for passive direct ethanol–proton exchange membrane fuel cells (DE‐PEMFCs). The chemical and physical structure, morphologies, ethanol uptake and permeability, ion exchange capacities, water uptake, and proton conductivities were determined and found that transport properties of the membrane were affected by the GO loading. The composite membrane with optimum GO content (15 wt %) exhibited the highest proton conductivity of 9.5 × 10−3 Scm−1 at 30°C, 3.24 × 10−2 Scm−1 at 60°C, respectively and reduced ethanol permeability until 1.75 × 10−7 cm2 s−1. In the passive DE‐PEMFC, the power density at 60°C were obtained as 5.84 mW cm−2 higher than those by commercial Nafion 117 is 4.52 mW cm−2. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 46928.