A novel green lignosulfonic acid/Nafion composite membrane with reduced cost and enhanced thermal stability

Abstract

A green biopolymer, lignosulfonate acid (LSA), was first used as an additive in the Nafion membrane for fuel cell applications. The Nafion/LSA composite membrane displayed enhanced thermal stability and other satisfactory properties due to the stable aromatic groups and multiple active sites of LSA. More importantly, the cost-effectiveness and simple fabrication of such novel composite PEMs make their use in PEMFCs very attractive and economical.