Structure and Facile Synthesis of Proton-Conducting [Fe(CN)

Abstract

Proton-conducting materials are a key component of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and the advantage of clear structural information in crystal materials offers a pathway for the investigation of the proton-conducting mechanism and pathway. In this work, a new Cd2+ coordination polymer material (compound 1) with the formula {[Cd3(bipy)3(H2O)4][Fe(CN)6]2·2H2O·2(bipy)}n was successfully synthesized by a solution diffusion method and its proton conduction ability was further determined. Crystal structure analysis confirms the coordination of [Fe(CN)6]3–, 4,4′-bipyridine, and H2O molecules to Cd2+ in the three dimensional structure of compound 1. Also, we confirmed that compound 1 of 500–800 nm particle size could be synthesized on a large scale by a facile stirring method. Proton-conductivity analyses revealed that compound 1 shows a water-mediated proton conduction behaviour because the conductivity increased apparently with the increase of relative humidity. Further investigation shows that the highest proton-conductivity of 8.36 × 10−4 S cm−1 was observed at 60°C and 95 % relative humidity, and the mechanism analysis suggests a Vehicle mechanism exists in the proton conduction process of compound 1.