Abstract
The work presents the synthesis and characterization of amidated pectin (AP) based polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM) crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA). The prepared membranes are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), organic elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction studies (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and impedance spectroscopy. Mechanical properties of the membranes are evaluated by tensile tests. The degree of amidation (DA), molar and mass reaction yields (Y-M and Y-N) are calculated based on the results of organic elemental analysis. FTIR spectroscopy indicated the presence of primary and secondary amide absorption bands. XRD pattern of membranes clearly indicates that there is a considerable increase in crystallinity as compared to parent pectin. TGA studies indicate that AP is less thermally stable than reference pectin. A maximum room temperature conductivity of 1.098 x 10(-3) Scm(-1) is obtained in the membrane, which is designated as AP-3. These properties make them good candidates for low cost biopolymer electrolyte membranes for fuel cell applications.