Durability of Sulfonated Aromatic Polymers for Proton‐Exchange‐Membrane Fuel Cells

Abstract

As a key component of proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) must continuously withstand very harsh environments during long-term fuel cell operations. With the coming commercialization of PEMFCs, investigations into the durability and degradation of PEMs are becoming more and more urgent and interesting. Herein, various recent attempts and achievements to improve the durability of sulfonated aromatic polymers (SAPs) are reviewed and some further developments are predicted. Extensive investigations into inexpensive SAPs as alternative electrolyte membranes include modification of available polymer materials; design, synthesis, and optimization of new macromolecules; durability testing; and exploring the degradation mechanisms.

Preparation and characterization of sulfonated poly(aryl ether ketone)s containing 3,5-diphenyl phthalazinone moieties for proton exchange membrane

“…[1][2][3][4] These materials, including the highly successful Naon®, exhibit excellent oxidative stability, chemical stability and high proton conductivity. However, there remain signicant limitations to current commercial materials, such as high methanol crossover rate and low operational temperature (methanol fuel cell, <80 C).…”

Building bridges: Crosslinking of sulfonated aromatic polymers—A review

“…The harsh working conditions encountered in electrochemical energy technologies, such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), redox flow batteries and water electrolysers, are a great challenge for the cell components, especially for the key one-the proton exchange membrane [1,2]. Up to now, there is no completely satisfactory polymer membrane for these applications.…”

Proton Mobility in Sulfonated PolyEtherEtherKetone (SPEEK): Influence of Thermal Crosslinking and Annealing

“…Sulfonated PolyEtherEtherKetone (SPEEK) is considered one of the most promising proton-conducting polymer electrolytes [1][2][3][4]. This sulfonated aromatic polymer (SAP) shows the typical attributes of hydrated acidic polymers: hydrophobic polymer domains containing very stable aromatic macromolecular backbones are combined with hydrophilic regions, containing dissociated sulfonic acid groups and water [5,6].…”