Organic/TiO2 nanocomposite membranes. Recent developments

Fuel cells may become a key energy management, but technical and economic feasibility still need to be sensibly improved. Many studies in order to overcome the limits of the technology are nowadays in progress. A promising and interesting development solution appears to be the improvement of the membrane properties used in fuel cells by nanotechnologies. In this book chapter, a review on the recent developments about organic/TiO 2 nanocomposite membranes will be presented, and the results obtained in the recent years will be discussed. As a main issue, polymer composites containing a small amount of inorganic materials lead to a significant increment in the interfacial area of the organic-inorganic phases, enhancing a considerable volume fraction of the interfacial polymer. Moreover, these composite systems may be capable to provide unique combination of organic properties, such as electrical property and processability, together with inorganic, comprising thermal and chemical stability and minor fuel permeability. To sum up, the organic-inorganic composite systems might also provide improved chemical and mechanical stability, as well as high proton conductivity at high temperatures.