Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of ZrO2 nanoparticles and their application to improve the chemical stability of Nafion membrane in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells.

Zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles were fabricated successfully via ultrasonic-assisted method using ZrO(NO3)2·H2O, ethylenediamine and hydrazine as precursors in aqueous solution. Morphology, structure and composition of the obtained products were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Then, the synthesized nanoparticles were used to prepare Nafion/ZrO2 nanocomposite membranes. The properties of the membranes were studied by ion exchange capacity (IEC) proton conductivity (σ), thermal stability and water uptake measurements. The ex-situ Fenton's test was used to investigate the chemical stability of the membranes. From our results, compared with Nafion membrane, the nanocomposite membrane exhibited lower fluoride release and weight loss. Therefore, it can concluded that Nafion/ZrO2 nanocomposite exhibit more chemical stability than the pure Nafion membrane. ATR-FTIR spectra and SEM surface images of membranes also confirm these results.