Enhanced fumion nanocomposite membranes embedded with graphene oxide as a promising anion exchange membrane for fuel cell application

Fumion (FAA3) is a predominant anion exchange membrane/ionomer (AEM/AEI) widely used in energy storage and energy conversion applications. However, its physicochemical stability and electrochemical performance are still quite low for profitable commercialization. Improving the properties of Fumion membrane via the addition of nanofillers or polymer blends is not being widely studied so far. Therefore, in this study, the Fumion membrane with different wt% of graphene oxide (GO) nanofiller was widely investigated for the fuel cell application. The obtained results indicated that water uptake, ionic conductivity, water contact angle, ion exchange capacity, physicochemical stability, and single-cell performance was improved by the incorporation of GO. Notably, the Fumion/GO nanocomposite membrane with 1.08 wt% of GO reached the highest ionic conductivity of 106.83 mS cm⁻¹ at 90 °C, whereas the pristine Fumion exhibited ionic conductivity of only 29.19 mS cm⁻¹. On top of that, the composite membrane achieved a maximum peak power density of 132 mW/cm² in an alkaline H₂/O₂ fuel cell with robust open-circuit voltage (OCV) for 150 h. The overall study demonstrates that an appropriate amount of GO addition could result in a promising Fumion anion exchange membrane for electrolyte applications.