The preparation and characterization of sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) and Cellulose Acetate (SPEEK-CA) membrane in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) by UV-crosslink technique

A new series of cross linked proton conducting membranes consists of sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and Cellulose Acetate (CA) has been developed over a wide range of compositions; SPEEK_1-xCA_x where x= 0.002,0.004, 0.006, 0.008, 0.01. The polymer electrolyte membrane is prepared by solution cast technique. The results indicate that the proton conductivity of the membranes increase with increasing solid proton conducting material. FTIR analysis shows that the cross linking reaction is performed successfully. All the results indicate that these cross-linked membranes based on SPEEK/CA show good prospect for the use as proton exchange membrane.