Sodium dodecyl sulfate/Pd-modified Nafion membrane for direct methanol fuel cells applications

Sodium dodecyl sulfate/Pd composites has been synthesized and used to modify the surface of Nafion membrane. The modified Nafion has been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron spectroscopy (FE-SEM). The properties of the modified membranes, in terms of their conductivity and the performance of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), have been analyzed and compared with those of the bare Nafion. It is found that the DMFC performance of the membrane modified by sodium dodecyl sulfate/Pd composites is better than that of the bare Nafion, which makes the modified Nafion a good candidate for DMFC applications.