title: Chitin nanowhisker-supported sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) proton exchange for fuel cell applications.
abstract: To balance the relationship among proton conductivity and mechanic strength of sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) (SPES) membrane, chitin nanowhisker-supported nanocomposite membranes were prepared by incorporating whiskers into SPES. The as-prepared chitin whiskers were prepared by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO) mediated oxidation of α-chitin from crab shells. The structure and properties of the composite membranes were examined as proton exchange membrane (PEM). Results showed that chitin nanowhiskers were dispersed incompactly in the SPES matrix. Thermal stability, mechanical properties, water uptake and proton conductivity of the nanocomposite films were improved from those of the pure SPES film with increasing whisker content, which ascribed to strong interactions between whiskers and between SPES molecules and chitin whiskers via hydrogen bonding. These indicated that composition of filler and matrix got good properties and whisker-supported membranes are promising materials for PEM.
authors.affiliation: College of Textile, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, PR China.
authors.forename: Chan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Textile, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, PR China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composite Materials of Ministry of Education, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, PR China. Electronic address: zhxupin@tjpu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xupin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.affiliation: College of Textile, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaojie
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Textile, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composite Materials of Ministry of Education, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, PR China.
authors.forename: Bowen
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: College of Textile, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, PR China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composite Materials of Ministry of Education, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, PR China.
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: College of Textile, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhanjun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composite Materials of Ministry of Education, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, PR China.
authors.forename: Mengqin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D002686:Chitin / Q000737:chemistry*; D003497:Cyclic N-Oxides / Q000737:chemistry; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011522:Protons; D013450:Sulfones / Q000737:chemistry*; D013451:Sulfonic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D003497:Cyclic N-Oxides; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011108:Polymers; D011522:Protons; D013450:Sulfones; D013451:Sulfonic Acids; D014867:Water; D002686:Chitin; C022840:polyether sulfone; C003959:TEMPO
keywords: Chitin nanowhiskers (CNWs); Composite membrane; Proton conductivity; Proton exchange membrane (PEM); Sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) (SPES)