Immobilization of imidazole in polymer electrolyte membranes for elevated temperature anhydrous applications

Abstract

AbstractPolymer electrolyte composite membranes were cast from the mixture of Nafion® ionomer and 2‐substituted imidazole. The existing flexible hydrocarbon chain on 2‐position of imidazole facilitates proton transfer in the membrane at elevated temperature. The formed composite membrane showed an increased glass transition temperature and improved mechanical property compared with plain Nafion® membrane. At temperature above 100°C, the ionic conductivity of the composite membrane increases with the increase in temperature, reaching 5 × 10−3 S cm−1 at 160°C under anhydrous condition. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011