Development of Sulfonated Aromatic Proton Exchange Membranes Containing Biphenyl Moieties for Water Electrolysers

Hafis Pratama Rendra Graha; Zakaria Maulana; Maisya Dina Putri Yanti; Tarisa Wulandari Putri; Pramujo Widiatmoko

Hafis Pratama Rendra Graha Chemical Engineering Program, Faculty of Technology Industry, Bandung Institute of Technology, Jalan Ganesa 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
Zakaria Maulana Chemical Engineering Master Program, Faculty of Technology Industry, Bandung Institute of Technology, Jalan Ganesa 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
Maisya Dina Putri Yanti Chemical Engineering Bachelor Program, Faculty of Technology Industry, Bandung Institute of Technology, Jalan Ganesa 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
Tarisa Wulandari Putri Chemical Engineering Bachelor Program, Faculty of Technology Industry, Bandung Institute of Technology, Jalan Ganesa 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
Pramujo Widiatmoko Chemical Engineering Bachelor Program, Faculty of Technology Industry, Bandung Institute of Technology, Jalan Ganesa 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia

Keywords: polymer, membrane, water electrolysis, biphenyl, sulfonation

Abstract

Hydrogen is the most efficient energy carrier that can be obtained from various feedstock sources, including water. One environmentally friendly method for producing high-purity hydrogen is water electrolysis. Polymer electrolyte membranes, or proton exchange membranes (PEMs), are semipermeable membranes that conduct ions while preventing the mixing of reactant materials across the membrane. This study proposes a method for synthesizing proton exchange membranes through post-sulfonation polymer synthesis. The aromatic compound biphenyl is used as the monomer in this synthesis. The advantages of this method are its simplicity, low production cost, and performance equivalent to Nafion® membranes at room temperature. The biphenyl membranes are characterized through FTIR, NMR, Fenton Test, Water uptake, Swelling ratio, IEC, and conductivity analysis. The resulting sulfonated biphenyl membranes exhibit good mechanical strength and oxidation stability. The Weight Loss in the Fenton Test of the sulfonated biphenyl membranes shows a value of 10%, similar to Nafion 212 based on previous studies. Furthermore, the sulfonated biphenyl membranes demonstrate a water uptake of 60%, swelling ratio of 7.5%, Ion Exchange Capacity of 3.31 meq/g, and 40 mS/cm conductivity.

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