Preparation and characterization of crosslinked PVA/SiO2 hybrid membranes containing sulfonic acid groups for direct methanol fuel cell applications

Organic–inorganic hybrids based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/SiO2 hybrid membranes containing sulfonic acid groups were prepared using the sol–gel process under acidic conditions. The PVA/sulfosuccinic acid (SSA)/silica hybrid membranes were fabricated from different SSA contents. The proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the hybrid membranes were studied with changing SSA content from 5 to 25 wt.%. It was found that the proton conductivity and the methanol permeability were dependent on the SSA content both as a crosslinking agent, and as a donor of the hydrophilic SO3H group. Up to an SSA content of about 20 wt.%, both of these properties decrease, and above this SSA content, they begin to increase with increasing SSA content. The proton conductivities of the PVA/SSA/silica membranes were in the range of 10−3 to 10−2 S/cm, and the methanol permeabilities ranged between 10−8 and 10−7 cm2/s. The presence of silica particles in the organic polymer matrix, which reduce the free water ratio of the membranes, results in hybrids with markedly reduced methanol permeabilities. These characteristics of the PVA/SSA/silica hybrid membranes are desirable for future applications related to direct methanol fuel cells.