Electrospinning a versatile tool for designing hybrid proton conductive membrane

Abstract

The development of efficient hybrid membranes for high temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is currently under investigation. Here, we show that the electrospinning process combined with the sol-gel chemistry conduces to membranes with protonic conductivity similar to Nafion, at high temperature under the relative humidity of 90%, and with anisotropic mechanical properties due to the presence of long-range anisotropic object. The electrospun membranes’ morphology is also highly dependent on the sol-gel chemistry (with/without additives) as well as the processing parameters including relative humidity, applied electrical field, temperature, rotating electrode's speed… Our hybrid fibers are based on poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP)/ SO3H-silica networks that combines the ability to mimic the nano structural phase separation observed in hydrated Nafion with major feature, that is, array of orientated ionic nano channels intermingled within a locally aligned polymer, where proton can easily diffuse in this tubular nanostructure.