Enhanced Performance of Sulfonated GO in SPEEK Proton-Exchange Membrane for Microbial Fuel-Cell Application
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 2
Abstract
Sulfonated graphene oxide (SGO) was prepared using sulfuric acid and used as a nanofiller at various concentrations in self-fabricated sulfonated polyetheretherketone (SPEEK) to produce nanocomposite proton-exchange membranes for microbial fuel-cell (MFC) applications. The proton conductivity, water uptake, ion-exchange capacity (IEC), and MFC performance of the nanocomposite membranes (SPEEK-SGO) were compared with those of pristine SPEEK and SPEEK-graphene oxide (GO). The addition of sulfonated GO (2% by weight) in a SPEEK membrane enhanced the proton conductivity and showed the maximum power density of compared with SPEEK () and SPEEK-GO () membranes in a single-chamber MFC. The SPEEK-SGO 2% membrane exhibited a onefold greater performance than the Nafion 115 (sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene) membranes () in the same MFC arrangement. The enhanced result of the SGO membranes was attributed to the presence of a high-density of sulfonic acid , , and on SGO, which facilitates higher water uptake, proton conductivity, and IEC of the membrane.
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Data Availability Statement
No data, models, or code were generated or used during the study.
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by a Yeungnam University Research Grant.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 2 • February 2021
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 23, 2020
Accepted: Oct 5, 2020
Published online: Dec 7, 2020
Published in print: Feb 1, 2021
Discussion open until: May 7, 2021
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