Bioinspired layered proton-exchange membranes with high strength and proton conductivity

Abstract

High-performance proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are crucial to the overall performance of PEM fuel cells. However, there always exists a conflict between the high ion conductivity and mechanical properties of traditional PEMs. Herein, we have demonstrated a simple bioinspired strategy for fabricating nacre-inspired layered membrane (GPS-X) based on GO sheets by crosslinking two kinds of long-chain polymers (PDA and SPVA) via vacuum filtration. Strikingly, the resulting GPS-50 membrane is endowed with high tensile strength (216.5 MPa) and high proton conductivity (0.303 S cm−1 at 80 °C) due to the combination of strong interfacial interactions and well-developed 2D channels, which surpasses Nafion and many other reported GO-based PEMs. Furthermore, the membrane exhibits higher output-power but lower weight than Nafion 212. Considering the achieved excellent properties induced by the independently adjustable 2D channels and mechanical properties, the bioinspired strategy offers guidance for constructing advanced membrane materials with potential applications in fuel cells.