Abstract
Proton-conductive membranes restrict the energy conversion efficiency and operating performance of the proton exchange membrane fuel cells. In this work, we develop a simple and easy scale-up method to synthesise a new proton-conductive material, amorphous chromium oxyhydroxide (CrO(OH)·xH2O). The CrO(OH)·xH2O shows a high water-adsorption value of 450 mg g−1, contributing to the construction of continuous and ordered hydrogen-bonding network within the materials. An ultra-high proton conductivity of 0.31 S cm−1 is obtained in CrO(OH)·xH2O at 90°C and 98% relative humidity, with an activation energy of 0.39 eV, which indicates a proton hopping mechanism. To further study the application potential of CrO(OH)·xH2O in proton exchange membranes, CrO(OH)·xH2O is added to sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) as a dopant, forming a SPEEK-CrO(OH) proton exchange membrane. The composite membrane exhibits a proton conductivity comparable to Nafion, 0.17 S cm−1 at 80°C in water without decreasing in 36 hours. This research enlightens us the development of metal oxyhydroxide via a simple and feasible strategy as efficient proton conductors.
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