S. Tursiloadi, K. Pamulianti, Reza A. Putri, N. Widiarti, M. Safaat, L. Hauli, O. Arutanti, Wiyanti F. Simanullang, Herri Susanto, Deni S. Khaerudini
The development of efficient proton exchange membranes (PEMs) is critical for advancing fuel cell technologies, particularly in enhancing proton transport from anode to cathode. In this study, Linde Type-A (LTA) zeolite was synthesized from Lampung natural zeolite via a hydrothermal method at varied SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratios and subsequently incorporated with PVDF and activated carbon to fabricate a composite PEM. The structural and morphological characteristics of the synthesized LTA zeolites were evaluated through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis and scanning electron microscopy. XRD results confirmed a high crystallinity of 85.82% at a SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of 1.00. Increasing the molar ratio from 0.97 to 1.60 led to a decline in specific surface area (from 74.445 to 50.907 m2/g), accompanied by an increase in pore diameter (from 8.578 to 10.350 nm). Electrochemical characterization demonstrated that the LTA-0.97 membrane exhibited the highest proton conductivity of 8.31 × 10⁻4 S/cm at room temperature, representing a twofold improvement over pristine Lampung zeolite membranes. Furthermore, the composite containing LTA-1.30 achieved the maximum ion exchange capacity of 0.35 meq/g. These findings highlight the potential of PVDF/activated carbon/LTA zeolite composite membranes, synthesized from abundant natural resources, as viable candidates for next-generation proton exchange membranes in low-temperature fuel cell applications. © King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals 2026.
Research Center for Catalysis, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), KST BJ Habibie Serpong, Banten, South Tangerang, 15314, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Central Java, 50229, Indonesia; Research Center for Advanced Materials, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), KST BJ Habibie Serpong, Banten, South Tangerang, 15314, Indonesia; Research Center for Energy Conversion Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), KST BJ Habibie Serpong, Banten, South Tangerang, 15314, Indonesia; Research Center for Molecular Chemistry, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), KST BJ Habibie Serpong, Banten, South Tangerang, 15314, Indonesia
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