Superacidic Electrospun Fiber-Nafion Hybrid Proton Exchange Membranes

A novel type of hybrid membrane has been fabricated by incorporating superacidic sulfated zirconia (S‐ZrO2) fibers into recast Nafion for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). With the introduction of electrospun superacidic fiber mats, a large amount of protogenic groups aggregated in the i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advanced energy materials 2011-11, Vol.1 (6), p.1133-1140
Main Authors: Yao, Yingfang, Lin, Zhan, Li, Ying, Alcoutlabi, Mataz, Hamouda, Hechmi, Zhang, Xiangwu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Continuous fibers
Electrospinning
Exchange
Fibers
Forming
Fuel cells
hybrid membranes
Mats
Membranes
Nafion
Nanostructure
superacidic solids
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Summary:A novel type of hybrid membrane has been fabricated by incorporating superacidic sulfated zirconia (S‐ZrO2) fibers into recast Nafion for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). With the introduction of electrospun superacidic fiber mats, a large amount of protogenic groups aggregated in the interfacial region between S‐ZrO2 fibers and the ionomer matrix, forming continuous pathways for facile proton transport. The resultant hybrid membranes had high proton conductivities, which were controlled by selectively adjusting the fiber diameter and fiber volume fraction. Consequently, the superacidic S‐ZrO2 electrospun fibers are promising filler materials and hybrid membranes containing S‐ZrO2 fiber mats can be potentially used in high‐performance fuel cells. Nanofiber/Nafion hybrid membranes are fabricated by incorporating superacidic S‐ZrO2 nanofibers into recast Nafion. A large amount of protogenic groups aggregate onto the interfaces between S‐ZrO2 fibers and the ionomer matrix, forming continuous pathways for facile proton transport. The resultant hybrid membranes have high proton conductivities, which can be selectively controlled by adjusting the fiber diameter and fiber volume fraction.
ISSN:1614-6832
1614-6840
DOI:10.1002/aenm.201100435