Effects of Calcination Time and Sulfonation of Silica Nanoparticles Synthesised Using the Stober and the Sol Gel Methods for Fuel Cell Applications

The pristine (p-SiO₂) and sulfonated silica (s-SiO₂) particles were created using the sol-gel and Stober methods. Furthermore, this study sought to show the impact of calcination time and surface changes on the morphology, and hence functionality, of the silica nanoparticles synthesised as potential fuel cell membrane additives. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was used as a silica precursor dissolved in water, with sulphuric acid serving as the sulphonation agent. Parametric data on particle morphology, such as particle size, porosity, total surface area, and agglomeration, were measured and evaluated using BET, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The amorphous nature of silica nanoparticles was confirmed by XRD analysis. The BET outcome data acquired for the synthesised silica particles were surface area ranges from 271 to 487 m²/g, pore diameter 12.10 nm - 21.02 nm, and total pore volume 0.76 - 1.58 cm³/g. This data gives crucial characteristics for designing appropriate silica nanofillers for hybrid fuel cell membranes. As a result, the gathered data can be used to make future decisions about silica synthesis methods for fuel cell applications.