A new approach to the facile preparation of anhydrous proton exchange membrane (PEM) enabled by artificial acid–base pairs is presented herein. Inspired by the bioadhesion of mussel, polydopamine-modified graphene oxide (DGO) sheets bearing –NH2 and –NH– groups are fabricated and then incorporated into sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) matrix to prepare the nanocomposite membrane. The DGO sheets are interconnected and homogeneously dispersed in SPEEK matrix, which provides unique rearrangement of the nanophase-separated structure and chain packing of nanocomposite membrane through interfacial electrostatic attractions. These attractions meanwhile induce the generation of acid–base pairs along the SPEEK–DGO interface, which then serve as long-range and low-energy-barrier pathways for proton hopping, imparting an enhanced proton transfer via the Grotthuss mechanism. In particular, under both hydrated and anhydrous conditions, the nanocomposite membrane exhibits much higher proton conductivity than the polymer control membrane. The enhanced proton conductivity results in the nanocomposite membrane having elevated cell performances under 120 °C and hydrous conditions, yielding a 47% increase in maximum current density and a 38% increase in maximum power density. Together with the stable conduction property, these results guarantee the nanocomposite membrane's promising prospects in high-performance fuel cell under anhydrous and elevated temperature conditions.

Polydopamine-modified graphene oxide nanocomposite membrane for proton exchange membrane fuel cell under anhydrous conditions

Mixed matrix proton exchange membranes for fuel cells: State of the art and perspectives

Enhancement of proton conductivity of chitosan membrane enabled by sulfonated graphene oxide under both hydrated and anhydrous conditions

Phosphoryl functionalized mesoporous silica for uranium adsorption

Constructing proton-conductive highways within an ionomer membrane by embedding sulfonated polymer brush modified graphene oxide

A novel inorganic proton exchange membrane based on phosphoric acid (PA)-functionalized sintered mesoporous silica, PA-meso-silica, has been developed and investigated. After sintering at 650 °C, the meso-silica powder forms a dense membrane with a robust and ordered mesoporous structure, which is critical for retention of PA and water within the porous material. The PA-meso-silica membrane achieved a high proton conductivity of 5 × 10–3 to 5 × 10–2 S cm–1 in a temperature range of 80–220 °C, which is between 1 and 2 orders of magnitudes higher than a typical membrane Nafion 117 or polybenzimidazole (PBI)/PA in the absence of external humidification. Furthermore, the PA-meso-silica membranes exhibited good chemical stability along with high performance at elevated temperatures, producing a peak power density of 632 mW cm–2 using a H2 fuel at 190 °C in the absence of external humidification. The high membrane proton conductivity and excellent fuel cell performance demonstrate the utility of PA-meso-silica ...

Anhydrous phosphoric Acid functionalized sintered mesoporous silica nanocomposite proton exchange membranes for fuel cells.

https://www.rsc.org/suppdata/cc/c3/c3cc41716f/c3cc41716f.pdf

Phosphoric acid functionalized pre-sintered meso-silica for high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Stack performance of phosphotungstic acid functionalized mesoporous silica (HPW-meso-silica) nanocomposite high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Beibei He

Papers

Anhydrous phosphoric Acid functionalized sintered mesoporous silica nanocomposite proton exchange membranes for fuel cells.

Phosphoric acid functionalized pre-sintered meso-silica for high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Stack performance of phosphotungstic acid functionalized mesoporous silica (HPW-meso-silica) nanocomposite high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells