PhD in Polymer Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia
MSc. in Chemical Instrumentation, Universiti Sains Malaysia
B. Eng in Chemical Engineering (Polymer)
Phosphoric Acid Electrolyte Uptake and Retention Analysis on UiO-66-NH2 Polybenzimidazole Nanocomposite Membranes Bo Wu, Hui Leng Choo, Wei Keat Ng, Ming Meng Pang, Li Wan Yoon, et al. Fuel Cells, 2025 High‐temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT‐PEMFCs) have a major advantage over low‐temperature fuel cells due to their better tolerance to higher carbon monoxide content in the hydrogen feed, simpler fuel processing, and better heat management. However, a key challenge in the development of HT‐PEMFCs is the potential for acid leaching from phosphoric acid‐doped polybenzimidazole membranes, which can reduce overall fuel cell performance. This study investigates the effect of post‐synthetic modification of the UiO‐66‐NH2 metal–organic framework (MOF) on the acid electrolyte uptake and retention of MOF/poly(4,4ʹ‐diphenylether‐5,5ʹ‐bibenzimidazole) (OPBI) nanocomposite membranes. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to correlate the membrane properties with acid uptake. This work revealed that the presence of MOF with functional groups that can form hydrogen bonds with phosphoric acid molecules was able to alleviate the acid retention in the OPBI membrane with lower acid uptake. TGA demonstrated that the lower bound moisture content in the nanocomposite membranes was correlated to the lower acid uptake. In addition, the thermal stability of the nanocomposite membranes was found to improve.
Graphene Nanoplatelets/Polylactic Acid Conductive Polymer Composites: Tensile, Thermal and Electrical Properties Kim Ling Cheong, Ming Meng Pang, Jiun Hor Low, Kim Yeow Tshai, Seong Chun Koay, et al. Chemical Engineering and Technology, 2024 Conductive polymer composites (CPC) are gaining increasing popularity due to their unique characteristics, which include light weight and the ability to conduct electricity. In this work, CPC were prepared by blending the polylactic acid (PLA) with a conductive filler, graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), at dosages ranging from 1 to 12 wt % using an internal mixer. The hot press machine was used to compress the CPC into thin sheet, and subsequently characterized for tensile, thermal, and electrical properties. The results showed that the addition of GNP at 7 wt % (percolation threshold) successfully transformed the PLA into an electrically conductive material. The tensile modulus increased with added GNP, but elongation at break and tensile strength exhibited an opposite trend. The incorporation of GNP also enhanced the composite's thermal stability.
Effects of corn husk fiber as filler in recycled single-use polypropylene for fused filament fabrication Lim Kar Yap, Koay Seong Chun, Chan Ming Yeng, Ong Thai Kiat, Ho Shuh Huey, et al. Journal of Vinyl and Additive Technology, 2024 Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is one of the most popular 3D printing approaches among end‐users due to its lower cost, ease of operation, and wide range of material choices. However, the use of composite filament produced from recycled plastic and agriculture waste is still relatively uncommon. This research focuses on developing composite filament from corn husk fiber (CHF) and recycled single‐use polypropylene for FFF. In this work, neat recycled polypropylene (rPP) and rPP/CHF composites were extruded into filament for FFF printing. It was observed that increasing the CHF content would reduce the print quality of the parts, as visible air gaps and voids were found on the printed surface and within the layers. Nevertheless, these issues were able to be overcome by adjusting the printing temperature and increasing the extrusion percentage during the printing process. The melt flow index results indicate that a higher CHF content would reduce the melt flow of the extruded rPP/CHF composite during printing, potentially affecting the quality of the printed parts. On the other hand, increasing the temperature enhanced the melt flow of the composite, which was beneficial for the printing process. When a small amount of CHF was added to the rPP, the printed part exhibited the highest tensile strength due to the reinforcing effect of the fibers. However, the tensile strength of printed parts using rPP/CHF composite filament decreased with higher CHF content. Additionally, higher CHF content resulted in printed composite parts that were more rigid and stiffer. It also reduced warpage on the printed specimens made with this composite, but it is important to note that warpage of the printed specimen is not directly correlated to crystallinity caused by nucleating effect of CHF. The rPP/CHF composite filament did exhibit earlier thermal degradation due to the addition of more CHF. However, this should not affect the printing process when temperature not beyond 230°C. This study highlights the potential of utilizing single‐use PP and fibers extracted from corn husk as feedstock for 3D printing. The findings expand the possibilities for recycling and employing agricultural waste in sustainable additive manufacturing processes.Highlights Utilizes single‐use PP and CHF in developing composite filaments, contributing to sustainability and reducing plastic waste. This research offers a sustainable approach by utilizing waste materials as feedstock for FFF‐based 3D printing, which able to reduce the environmental pollution caused by disposal of single‐use plastic and promotes recycling practices.
Metal–Organic Frameworks in Proton-Exchange Membrane for Intermediate-to-High-Temperature Fuel-Cell Applications: A Review Bo Wu, Se Yong Eh Noum, Wai Yin Wong, Ming Meng Pang, and Jurnal Kejuruteraan, 2023 A proton-exchange membrane (PEM) is a vital component in fuel cells as a solid electrolyte that conducts ions. The high cost and degradation of Nafion® membrane in low-temperature fuel cells limits the technology’s commercialization. The development of intermediate (IT-PEMFCs) to high-temperature (HT-PEMFCs) fuel cells operating within the range of 80–200 °C has made progress over the last few decades, and improvements in water management addressing the issues of low-temperature PEMFCs have been observed. However, these types of PEM fuel cells (IT-PEMFCs and HT-PEMFCs) still face considerable challenges, such as unsatisfactory performance stability at high temperatures. Particularly, in HT-PEMFC, despite the high acid doping level (ADL) in membranes as a potential means to improve proton conductivity, high ADL decreases the membrane’s mechanical stability. Recently, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have achieved satisfactory results in applications of PEM modification. This manuscript reviews the development in applying MOFs in improving the properties of composite membranes in IT- and HT-PEMFCs by using SPEEK and PBI, respectively. The synthesis strategies using MOFs in the PEM are discussed together with the electrochemical properties obtained. The success of incorporating of MOFs into PEMs could shed light on the synthesis of new-generation IT- and HT-PEMFCs, which could improve several properties such as mechanical and thermal stability, oxidative stability, and acid-retention capacity.
Proton Conductivity Enhancement at High Temperature on Polybenzimidazole Membrane Electrolyte with Acid-Functionalized Graphene Oxide Fillers Raja Rafidah Raja Sulaiman, Rashmi Walvekar, Wai Yin Wong, Mohammad Khalid, Ming Meng Pang Membranes, 2022 Graphene oxide (GO) and its acid-functionalized form are known to be effective in enhancing the proton transport properties of phosphoric-acid doped polybenzimidazole (PA-doped PBI) membranes utilized in high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HTPEMFC) owing to the presence of proton-conducting functional groups. This work aims to provide a comparison between the different effects of GO with the sulfonated GO (SGO) and phosphonated GO (PGO) on the properties of PA-doped PBI, with emphasis given on proton conductivity to understand which functional groups are suitable for proton transfer under high temperature and anhydrous conditions. Each filler was synthesized following existing methods and introduced into PBI at loadings of 0.25, 0.5, and 1 wt.%. Characterizations were carried out on the overall thermal stability, acid doping level (ADL), dimensional swelling, and proton conductivity. SGO and PGO-containing PBI exhibit better conductivity than those with GO at 180 °C under anhydrous conditions, despite a slight reduction in ADL. PBI with 0.5 wt.% SGO exhibits the highest conductivity at 23.8 mS/cm, followed by PBI with 0.5 wt.% PGO at 19.6 mS/cm. However, the membrane with PGO required a smaller activation energy for proton conduction, thus less energy was needed to initiate fast proton transfer. Additionally, the PGO-containing membrane also displayed an advantage in its thermal stability aspect. Therefore, considering these properties, it is shown that PGO is a potential filler for improving PBI properties for HTPEMFC applications.
Plastics in Food Packaging Ming M. Pang, Hui L. Choo, Yose F. Buys Encyclopedia of Materials Plastics and Polymers, 2022
The fundamental studies on the reaction kinetics of thermal decomposition of bio-composite based backsheet materials in photovoltaic (PV) panel M Zulkeply, M M Pang, C A Vaithilingam, R Sivasubramanian Journal of Physics Conference Series, 2022 This research presents the reaction kinetics of thermal decomposition of vetiver filled Polylactic Acid (PLA) bio-composite based backsheet in Photovoltaic (PV) panel via the Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The conventional PV backsheet called TEDLAR (Polyvinyl Fluoride, PVF) is made from petroleum, a non-biodegradable material which will impose serious problems to the environment at the end-of-life of the PV modules. Therefore, it is important to identify the suitability of PLA/vetiver to replace TEDLAR. The best composition of PLA/vetiver producing the lowest thermal degradation is discussed by analysing the activation energy of the bio-composites with different weight percent (wt. %) of PLA/vetiver. The result showed the wt. % of PLA/vetiver with lower content of the natural fibre has a lower thermal degradation temperature which indicates the rapid start of the degradation process. However, TEDLAR degrades at an average temperature of 400°C proving the ability to withstand extreme temperatures, thus it does not degrade easily. The results showed the higher the content of the vetiver, the lower the degradation temperature. The activation energy of the bio-composites was calculated using the Kissinger method and the estimation values of the different doses of PLA/vetiver range between 28 to 77 kJ/mol.
Effects of expandable graphite on flammability, thermal and mechanical performance of palm empty fruit bunch fibre reinforced composite Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, 2018
