Performances of Sulfonated Polyether Ether Ketone Composite Membranes for Fuel Cell Applications

Abstract

A variety of modification approaches such as cross-linking and nano blending have been explored to prepare efficient membranes based on Sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK). The addition filler is also one of the most widely used approaches to modify the SPEEK. The crosslinked membranes were utilized as proton exchange membranes (PEM) for fuel cell application. The performances of these composite membranes were comparative researched in terms of water uptake, ion exchange capacity, proton conductivity, and methanol permeability.While the nanohybrid membranes display remarkably enhanced proton conduction property due to the incorporation of additional sites for proton transport and the formation of well-connected channels by bridging the hydrophilic domains in SPEEK matrix. The as-prepared nanohybrid membranes also show elevated thermal and mechanical stabilities as well as decreased methanol permeability.