We used NMR techniques to probe the anisotropic properties of stretched Nafion  115 membranes. The alignment of the polymeric structure under a uniaxial load is at the origin of a strong anisotropy of both the water self-diffusion coefficient and the proton conductivity. The determination of these two important membrane properties may lead to new fundamental information on the nature of the pr...

In electroosmotic dehumidification, a membrane composed of a desiccant material removes moisture from air to be conditioned. Then, electroosmotic pumping driven by the application of voltage moves the moisture across the membrane and rejects it on the other side. A bench top experiment was developed to screen promising membrane materials. Two sealed humidity chambers were separated by a membran...

In this work a new and simple two electrode amperometric sensor for NO2 detection is described. The sensor consists of a Nafion® proton exchange membrane (PEM), a Graphite working electrode, and a NiO counter electrode. The developed sensor presents a good sensitivity to NO2 and very small cross sensitivity to CO and O2. A dedicated measurement system was developed, and a measurement protocol w...

Herein we describe the development, characterization and application of an electrochemical sensor based on the use of Nafion/MWCNT-modified screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) for the voltammetric detection of the anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) drug ethambutol (ETB). The electrochemical behaviour of the drug at the surface of the developed Nafion/MWCNT-SPCEs was studied through cyclic voltamm...

Water drops on Nafion films caused the surface to switch from being hydrophobic to being hydrophilic. Contact angle hysteresis of >70 degrees between advancing and receding values were obtained by the Wilhelmy plate technique. Sessile drop measurements were consistent with the advancing contact angle; the sessile drop contact angle was 108 degrees . Water drop adhesion, as measured by the detac...

As part of our overall long-term objective of designing a glucose sensor for long-term subcutaneous implantation, a coil-type implantable glucose sensor loaded with excess glucose oxidase (GOD) inside the coils of a 0.125mm diameter coiled platinum-iridium wire has been developed. The excess GOD was immobilized in a glutaraldehyde/bovine serum albumin (BSA) gel reinforced with cotton and locate...

The current study investigated the unique combination of alloying (Pt with Cr) and Nafion stabilisation to reap the benefits of catalyst systems with enhanced catalytic activity and improved durability in PEMFCs. Pt–Cr alloy nanoparticles stabilised with Nafion were chosen in the current study owing to their higher stability in acidic and oxidising media at high temperatures compared to other P...

Knowledge of the transitions occurring during formation ion-conducting polymer films and membranes is crucial to optimize material performances. The use non-destructive scattering techniques that offer high spatio-temporal resolution essential investigating such structural transitions, especially when combined with complementary probing at different time spatial scales. Here, a simultaneous mul...

The use of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) with a Nafion membrane for isotopic separation of deuterium (D) was investigated. Mass analysis at the cathode side indicated that D diffused through the membrane and participated in an isotope exchange reaction. The exchange of D with protium (H) in H₂O was facilitated by a Pt catalyst. The anodic data showed that the separation efficiency was ...