New nanocomposite proton conducting membranes based on a core–shell nanofiller for low relative humidity fuel cells

Noto, Vito Di; Piga, Matteo; Negro, Enrico; Giffin, Guinevere A.; Polizzi, Stefano; Zawodzinski, Thomas A.

doi:10.1039/c3ra40305j

Cited by 19 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…IEC values of a series of membranes were measured by titration using NaCl and NaOH solutions (Table ). It is known that the addition of inorganic fillers or non‐sulfonated polymers into polymer electrolyte membranes decreases their IEC values due to lowering of the numbers of proton exchange groups in the membrane . Therefore the theoretical IEC values of the blend membranes composed of S‐ bg ‐PI and oPBI are lower than that of pristine S‐ bg ‐PI.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is known that the addition of inorganic fillers or non-sulfonated polymers into polymer electrolyte membranes decreases their IEC values due to lowering of the numbers of proton exchange groups in the membrane. 23,26 Therefore the theoretical IEC values of the blend membranes composed of S-bg-PI and oPBI are lower than that of pristine S-bg-PI. Besides, the formation of acid − base interactions between the sulfonic acid group in S-bg-PI and benzimidazole in PBI further reduced their values (2.34 and 2.18 meq g −1 with 3 and 7 wt% oPBI) as shown in the experimentally obtained IEC values.…”

Section: Preparation Of the Blend Membranesmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In this study, we attempted to introduce acid − base interactions in the S‐ bg ‐PI membranes to improve the polymer electrolyte membrane properties. In order to enhance the gas barrier property and chemical stability, various approaches including addition of inorganic fillers, crosslinking via covalent bonds and the introduction of acid − base interactions have been reported . Among them, acid − base interactions, such as the interaction between sulfonic acid groups and imidazole moieties, is one of the practical approaches to enhancing membrane stability without loss of membrane flexibility .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to enhance the gas barrier property and chemical stability, various approaches including addition of inorganic fillers, crosslinking via covalent bonds and the introduction of acid − base interactions have been reported. 23 -27 Among them, acid − base interactions, such as the interaction between sulfonic acid groups and imidazole moieties, is one of the practical approaches to enhancing membrane stability without loss of membrane flexibility. 25 -27 Acid − base interactions in polymer electrolyte membranes generally improve not only mechanical stability but also chemical stability of the membranes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preparation and characterization of sulfonated block-graft copolyimide/sulfonated polybenzimidazole blend membranes for fuel cell application

2015

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Polymer electrolyte blend membranes composed of sulfonated block-graft polyimide (S-bg-PI) and sulfonated polybenzimidazole (sPBI) were prepared and characterized. The proton conductivity and oxygen permeability coefficient of the novel blend membrane S-bg-PI/sPBI (7 wt%) were 0.38 S cm −1 at 90 ∘ C and 98% relative humidity and 7.2 × 10 −13 cm 3 (STP) cm (cm 2 s cmHg)at 35 ∘ C and 76 cmHg, respectively, while those of Nafion ® were 0.15 S cm −1 and 1.1 × 10 −10 cm 3 (STP) cm (cm 2 s cmHg)under the same conditions. The apparent (proton/oxygen transport) selectivity calculated from the proton conductivity and the oxygen permeability coefficient in the S-bg-PI/sPBI (7 wt%) membrane was 300 times larger than that determined in the Nafion membrane. Besides, the excellent gas barrier properties based on an acid − base interaction in the blend membranes are expected to suppress the generation of hydrogen peroxide and reactive oxygen species, which will degrade fuel cells during operation. The excellent proton conductivity and gas barrier properties of the novel membranes promise their application for future fuel cell membranes.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Preparation Of the Blend Membranesmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preparation and characterization of sulfonated block-graft copolyimide/sulfonated polybenzimidazole blend membranes for fuel cell application

2015

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“…Molecular-level organic-inorganic hybridization allows one to introduce morphologies such as hollow compartments or coreshell structures into PEMs and, thus, improve their chemical affinity, increase proton conductivity, and enhance stability. [18][19][20][21][22][23] The most studied techniques involve the incorporation of hollow components such as nano-or microscale capsules with an aqueous or hydrophilic core surrounded by a hydrophobic shell. The hydrophobic domain of the hollow compartments can be either inorganic or contain organic molecules such as lipids (e.g., liposomes) and polymers.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reinforced Polymer Blend Membranes with Liposome‐Like Morphology for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells Operating under Low‐Humidity Conditions

et al. 2020

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Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) attract much attention as eco-friendly clean energy sources for transportation and stationary applications. [1,2] Proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) are essential components of these cells, acting as 1) separators to prevent the mixing of anode and cathode fuels and 2) conductors to aid the transport of protons from the anode to the cathode. Practically applicable PEMs should exhibit chemical, mechanical, and dimensional stability to fulfill the requirements of role 1) [3] and should maintain their proton conductivity even at low relative humidity (RH) to comply with the requirements of role 2). [1,4] The current state of the art is represented by perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) PEMs (e.g., Nafion), which exhibit high proton conductivity, superior mechanical properties, and chemical stability but suffer from high cost, high fuel permeability, and difficulty of structure/property modification. These drawbacks, together with the recent environmental and regulation issues regarding polyfluoroalkyl substances, have inspired the development of non-PFSA PEMs. [5] Sulfonated hydrocarbon-based PEMs, which offer superior thermal stability, low cost, and versatility of polymer types and can be synthesized from a variety monomers, have been investigated as promising alternatives to conventional PEMs. [6] However, the low mechanical stability of these membranes as separators and their low performance as proton conductors (particularly under low-humidity conditions) present an obstacle to usage in practical fuel cells. [7][8][9] To date, several solutions, such as physicochemical bonding (e.g., cross-liking and hydrogen bonding) [10][11][12] and hydrophilic-hydrophobic phase separation (e.g., multi-block copolymers, [13,14] comb-type PEMs, [12,15] densely sulfonated, [16] and organic/inorganic composites [17] ), have been suggested to build well-defined proton-conducting channels and, thus, obtain high proton conductivity and mechanical strength at low RH. Among them, one of the most interesting and easily applicable strategies is the construction of organic-inorganic composite membranes with functionalized inorganic fillers via the modification of aromatic polymer membranes with a high degree of sulfonation (DS). [17]

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Nafion

Tang

Pan

2015

Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology

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Nafion is a perfluorinated sulfonic acid resin (PFSA), which was developed by the E. I. DuPont Company. Owing to its stability, superior mechanical properties, high chemical inertness, and proton conductivity, Nafion is currently used in commercial membranes and catalyst layers of fuel cells. This article overviews the structure, morphology, and mechanical and electrochemical properties of Nafion. In addition, important research as well as practical industrial applications, such as brine electrolysis, chlor‐alkali cells, salt splitting, clean power generation by Nafion polymer electrolyte fuel cells, batteries, gas separation, gas sensors, and electrodialysis, is also presented.

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New nanocomposite proton conducting membranes based on a core–shell nanofiller for low relative humidity fuel cells

Cited by 19 publications

References 35 publications

Preparation and characterization of sulfonated block-graft copolyimide/sulfonated polybenzimidazole blend membranes for fuel cell application

Preparation and characterization of sulfonated block-graft copolyimide/sulfonated polybenzimidazole blend membranes for fuel cell application

Reinforced Polymer Blend Membranes with Liposome‐Like Morphology for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells Operating under Low‐Humidity Conditions

Nafion

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