Efficient chitosan/nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide composite membranes for direct alkaline ethanol fuel cells

Gorgieva, Selestina (author), Osmić, Azra (author), Hribernik, Silvo (author), Božič, Mojca (author), Svete, Jurij (author), Hacker, Viktor (author), Wolf, Sigrid (author), Genorio, Boštjan (author)

Herein, we prepared a series of nanocomposite membranes based on chitosan (CS) and three compositionally and structurally different N-doped graphene derivatives. Two-dimensional (2D) and quasi 1D N-doped reduced graphene oxides (N-rGO) and nanoribbons (N-rGONRs), as well as 3D porous N-doped graphitic polyenaminone particles (N-pEAO), were synthesized and characterized fully to confirm their graphitic structure, morphology, and nitrogen (pyridinic, pyrrolic, and quaternary or graphitic) group contents. The largest (0.07%) loading of N-doped graphene derivatives impacted the morphology of the CS membrane significantly, reducing the crystallinity, tensile properties, and the KOH uptake, and increasing (by almost 10-fold) the ethanol permeability. Within direct alkaline ethanol test cells, it was found that CS/N rGONRs (0.07 %) membrane (P$_{max}$. = 3.7 mWcm$^{−2}$) outperformed the pristine CS membrane significantly (P$_{max}$. = 2.2 mWcm$^{−2}$), suggesting the potential of the newly proposed membranes for application in direct ethanol fuel cells.

• Language: English
• Keywords: chitosan, nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide, anion-exchange membrane, direct alkaline ethanol fuel cell
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 24 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 22, iss. 4, art. 1740
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135009
• UDC: 543.2:66
• ISSN on article: 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms22041740
• COBISS.SI-ID: 50761731
• Publication date in RUL: 17.02.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of molecular sciences
• Shortened title: Int. j. mol. sci.
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1422-0067
• COBISS.SI-ID: 2779162

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 09.02.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: hitozan, grafen oksid, membrane, gorivne celice, etanol