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Correlation between the proton conductivity and diffusion coefficient of sulfonic acid functionalized chitosan and Nafion composites via impedance spectroscopy measurements

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Abstract

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) was employed to estimate the global transverse proton diffusion coefficient, D H +, in sulfonic acid functionalized sustainable chitosan (CS-SO3H)/Nafion composite films. In contrast to conventional conductivity measurements, EIS measurements were performed at room temperature with a film/liquid interface. In this configuration, the measure of the bulk proton transport is correlated to the D H + of the membranes which is close to 1.1 × 10−6 cm2 s−1 and 0.33 × 10−6 cm2 s−1 with and without CS-SO3H, respectively. These D H + values permitted the proton conductivity (σ H +) ratio (∼3.9) between the Nafion/CS-SO3H composite and pristine Nafion films to be estimated by using the Nernst-Einstein relationship. This ratio presents a good agreement with that obtained for the σ H + of bulk membranes (∼3.2) measured at 30 °C and 90% RH. The agreement between the σ H + ratios validates our methodology for D H + estimation by EIS and suggests that the more than three times enhanced \( {\sigma}_H^{+} \) is governed by the ∼3 times higher D H + in the presence of CS-SO3H.

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Acknowledgements

I.R. acknowledges “The Emmag Programme” for the financial support of her Ph.D. thesis. The authors thank Ms. Françoise Pillier for the FEG-SEM measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Interfaces et Systèmes Électrochimiques, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC University Paris 06, CNRS, 4 place Jussieu, F-75005, Paris, France

    I. Ressam, H. Perrot & O. Sel

  2. Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Laboratoire Chimie Organométallique et Macromoléculaire – Matériaux Composites, Cadi Ayyad Université, Marrakech, Morocco

    I. Ressam & M. Lahcini

  3. Materials Research Institute, School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Rd, London, E1 4NS, UK

    A. Belen Jorge

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  1. I. Ressam
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  2. M. Lahcini
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  3. A. Belen Jorge
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  4. H. Perrot
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  5. O. Sel
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Correspondence to H. Perrot or O. Sel.

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Ressam, I., Lahcini, M., Belen Jorge, A. et al. Correlation between the proton conductivity and diffusion coefficient of sulfonic acid functionalized chitosan and Nafion composites via impedance spectroscopy measurements. Ionics 23, 2221–2227 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-017-2151-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-017-2151-5

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