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Sulfonated poly(fluorenyl ether ketone)/Sulfonated α-zirconium phosphate Nanocomposite membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

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Abstract

Sulfonated poly(aryl ether) (SPAE) membranes have attracted significant attention as polymer electrolyte membranes due to their superior mechanical properties and low cost. However, the poor chemical stability and methanol barrier property of SPAE membranes limit the fuel cell performance. It is necessary to improve the proton conductivity, methanol barrier property, and stability of SPAE for high-performance fuel cells. Herein, a novel proton conductive filler, sulfonated α-zirconium phosphate (ZrP-SO3H), was synthesized and introduced to sulfonated poly(fluorenyl ether ketone) (SPFEK) to fabricate advanced nanocomposite membranes. The oxidative stability, methanol permeability, water uptake, and proton conductivity of the as-prepared nanocomposite membranes were characterized. The nanocomposite membranes exhibited comparable performance as Nafion® 117 membrane in H2/O2 fuel cell and higher performance than Nafion® 117 in direct methanol fuel cell. These results suggest that ZrP-SO3H-doped SPFEK membrane is a promising candidate as a proton exchange membrane in high-performance fuel cells.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr. Abraham Clearfield at Texas A&M University for valuable discussions. This work is financial supported by the Key Laboratory of Low-Carbon Chemistry & Energy Conservation of Guangdong Province (20200101).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Biobased Materials and Energy of Ministry of Education, College of Materials and Energy, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, Guangdong, China

    Hang Hu

  2. Polymer Program, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA

    Fuchuan Ding, Hao Ding, Jingjing Liu & Luyi Sun

  3. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA

    Fuchuan Ding, Hao Ding, Jingjing Liu & Luyi Sun

  4. College of Chemistry and Materials Science & Fujian Key Laboratory of Polymer Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, Fujian, China

    Fuchuan Ding

  5. Key Low Carbon Chemistry & Energy Conservation of Guangdong Province, State Key Laboratory Optoelectronic Materials & Technologies, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, Guangdong, China

    Min Xiao & Yuezhong Meng

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  1. Hang Hu
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Hu, H., Ding, F., Ding, H. et al. Sulfonated poly(fluorenyl ether ketone)/Sulfonated α-zirconium phosphate Nanocomposite membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Adv Compos Hybrid Mater 3, 498–507 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42114-020-00182-0

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