Fabrication of Conducting Nanochannels Using Accelerator for Fuel Cell Membrane and Removal of Radionuclides: Role of Nanoparticles
Om Prakash, Amol Mhatre, R. Tripathi, Ashok K. Pandey, Pravesh Kumar Yadav, Saif A. Khan, Pralay Maiti
Abstract
Latent tracks in pure polymer and its nanohybrid are fabricated by irradiating with swift heavy ions (SHI) (Ag + ) having 140 MeV energy followed by selective chemical etching of the amorphous path, caused by the irradiation of SHI, to generate nanochannels of size ∼80 nm. Grafting is done within the nanochannels utilizing free radicals generated from the interaction of high-energy ions, followed by tagging of ionic species to make the nanochannels highly ion-conducting. The uniform dispersion of two-dimensional nanoparticles better controls the size and number density of the nanochannels and, thereby, converts them into an effective membrane. The nanoparticle and functionalization induce a piezoelectric β-phase in the membrane. The functionalized membrane removes the radioactive nuclide like 241 Am +3 (α-emitting source) efficiently (∼80% or 0.35 μg/cm 2 ) from its solution/waste. This membrane act as a corrosion inhibitor (92% inhibition efficiency) together with its higher proton conduction (0.13 S/m) ability. The higher ion-exchange capacity, water uptake, ion conduction, and high sorption by the nanohybrid membrane are explored with respect to the extent of functionalization and control over nanochannel dimension. A membrane electrode assembly has been fabricated to construct a complete fuel cell, which exhibits superior power generation (power density of 45 mW/cm 2 at a current density of 298 mA/cm 2 ) much higher than that of the standard Nafion, measured in a similar condition. Further, a piezoelectric matrix along with its anticorrosive property, high sorption characteristics, and greater power generation makes this class of material a smart membrane that can be used for many different applications.