The Effect of Divinylbenzene on the Characteristics of Sulfonated Polystyrene Polyblend from Styrofoam Waste for Fuel Cell

• Main Author: HATTA (NIM 10505092), KHAERUL
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/12312
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The development of membrane technology for fuel cell application has been studied recently. The purpose of this study is to obtain a new alternative energy. Nafion is one of the commercial membrane that has great conductivity and mechanical strength, but it has high cost. Unuseable styrofoam has potention to be raw material for fuel cell. Synthesis and characterization of polystyrene (PS) membrane and its blend with lignosulfonat (LS), and the effect of addition divinylbenzene (DVB) to characteristics of membrane have been carried out. The aim of this research is to study the polyblend membrane characteristic with 5% (w/w) LS composition, and various DVB composition (2, 4, 6, dan 8%) (w/w). Polystyrene isolated from styrofoam waste. The FTIR spectra of PSS shown that the hydrogen group on PS has been substituted with sulfonate group. Membrane with 2% DVB composition has the highest mechanical strength, whereas the highest conductivity is own by membrane which has 8% DVB in composition. The higher composition of DVB, the higher thermal stability obtained. Based on conductivity and its thermal stability, membrane which has the characteristic approach to nafion is membrane with 8% of DVB composition.