Hydrocarbon membranes composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) derivatives for the application of fuel cell

Abstract

A polymer electrolyte membranes fuel cell is one of the most attractive power sources for a wide range of application from vehicles to portable utilities. Poly(vinyl alcohol (PVA) is a water-soluble polyhydroxy polymer that is used in practical applications because of its easy preparation, excellent chemical resistance, and physical properties. PVA membrane has also been used in ethanol dehydration to break the ethanol-water azeotrope. Very hydrophilic membranes for pervaporation were evaluated as polymer electrolyte membrane in fuel cells application. Crosslinked PVA membranes were prepared at various crosslinking methods containing sulfuric acid groups. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 2006 AIChE Spring National Meeting (Orlando, FL 4/23-27/2006).