Preparation and Characterization of High Methanol Resistance Sulfonated Poly (ether ether ketone) Membrane for DMFC Application

High methanol resistance sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) membranes have been prepared and characterized as a potential proton exchange membrane for direct methanol fuel cell. The sulfonation process was conducted at room temperature to produce SPEEK with 60% degree of sulfonation (DS). The produced membranes were then characterized by evaluating the swelling behavior in terms of water uptake, swelling ratios and methanol sorption as a function of temperature and reaction time. Interestingly, it was observed that the methanol uptake value of SPEEK membrane was lower as compared to the water uptake value as much as 80%. This characteristic showed that SPEEK membrane possesses good resistance towards methanol which is a crucial property requires for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) application.