Abstract
In the quest for sustainable and high-performance hydrogen fuel cells, proton exchange membranes (PEMs) stand as a pivotal research focus. To overcome the significant challenge posed by the traditional trade-offs between proton conductivity and mechanical stability, this work introduces liquid-crystal-modified aramid fibers (DBAF) with highly ordered molecular arrangements and abundant sulfonic acid groups on the side chains as proton-hopping sites into a sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) matrix. The inclusion of components not only improves the proton conductivity of the membrane, but also boosts its mechanical strength. The results of our study demonstrate that the externally attached sulfonic acid groups create extra channels for the transport of protons. Additionally, the organized and consistently stable hydrogen-bond network enables the Grotthuss transport mechanism within the SPEEK membrane. The 1 wt% DBAF-SPEEK composite membrane exhibits a maximum proton conductivity of 0.23 S cm−1 at 80 °C, representing a 64% increase over the baseline SPEEK membrane's 0.14 S cm−1. Simultaneously, the tensile strength at normal room temperature is 39.7 MPa, exhibiting an improvement of 86% compared to the initial value of 21.3 MPa. Additionally, the swelling ratio is lowered by 18.69%. Compared with the baseline membrane, the DBAF-enhanced SPEEK composite membrane exhibits superior mechanical stability and proton conductivity within a moderate temperature range (30–80 °C). Consequently, this work offers valuable insights for the development of novel proton-conductive materials.
Published Version
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