Synthesis and characterisation of new polymer liquid crystals for externally regulated Direct Methanol Fuel Cells.

Abstract. In this communication we present our recent work related to the design, synthesis and characterisation of new liquid crystalline materials which will be used as externally controlled electrolytes in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC). The aim is to obtain materials with a hybrid hydrophobic / hydrophilic structure in order to minimize the “crossover ” effect, which causes yield losses of up to 30 % in DMFCs. By inducing liquid crystallinity to the new electrolytes, their morphology and therefore their diffusion properties against water and methanol can be externally controlled by means of electrical fields