Modelling the structure of Nafion membranes by using small angle x-ray scattering

ANDRADA H.; OLIVERIRA R.G.; FERNANDEZ BORDIN S.P.; CASTELLANO G.; CARRERAS A.; GALVAN V.

Campinas

Conferencia; 27th Annual Users Meeting; 2017

Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials

the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has become a promising type of fuel cell as a clean energy source. The membrane used as electrolyte is a key component in PEMFCs, One of the most common and commercially available fuel cell electrolytes is the Nafion membrane, which is a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and a vinyl ether containing a sulfonyl fluoride group at the end.In this work, we study the channel structure of polymeric membranes Nafion. In order to improve the models available in the bibliography, we propose a structural model based in hexagonal-like cylindrical core-shellwater channels and prismatic crystals in the amorphous polymer matrix.We develop electronic density maps using Monte Carlo simulations to use as input in the Schmidt-Rohr?s algorithm which allows the modelling of the scattering intensity as a function of q, I(q). To correlate theproposed structure with the SAXS experimental data, the model variables were refined.