Morphological properties of nafion-TiOsub(2) composites prepared by solgel and casting

Abstract

Nafion-Titania composite membranes prepared either by casting or by sol-gel route have been studied as electrolytes for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEM Fuel Cell) at high temperatures (130 ºC). Small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive analysis using x-rays (EDAX) and impedance spectroscopy (IS) were employed to investigate the composite properties. The cast-composite membrane has a heterogeneous distribution of titania particles in the film, whereas the solgel-composite has a well-dispersion of the inorganic phase. The former composite have higher proton conductivity, while the latter has lower proton conduction, owing to the high tortuosity imposed by the dispersed insulator nanoparticles.