Preparation of Proton Exchange Membranes by plasma grafting of styrene on PTFE powder

Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) is core component of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC). Preparing the PEM by plasma is a hot research topic, more and more research has been carried out on the functional modification of PTFE membranes using an plasma technique [1-3]. A novel material will apply for PEM has been prepared by grafting styrene onto poly (tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) powder by plasma technique, PTFE powder can be made into membrane as PEM after successful sulfonation. It is a new method to prepare proton exchange membrane with lower cost for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC). FTIR and XPS analysis were carried out to analyze the effects of synthesis conditions on the grafting degree and to characterize the compositions of the prepared membrane, it showed the styrene have successfully grafting polymerizated onto PTFE substrate and was sulfonated. The PEM prepared from modified PTFE powder have flat morphology from SEM observation. The prepared membrane had excellent mechanical properties, it were stable in acidic, alkali, and oxidative solutions.