Sulfonated poly(styrene- block -(ethylene- ran -butylene)- block -styrene (SSEBS)-zirconium phosphate (ZrP) composite membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

Properties and Applications of Metal Phosphates and Pyrophosphates as Proton Conductors

We review the progress in metal phosphate structural chemistry focused on proton conductivity properties and applications. Attention is paid to structure-property relationships, which ultimately determine the potential use of metal phosphates and derivatives in devices relying on proton conduction. The origin of their conducting properties, including both intrinsic and extrinsic conductivity, is rationalized in terms of distinctive structural features and the presence of specific proton carriers or the factors involved in the formation of extended hydrogen-bond networks. To make the exposition of this large class of proton conductor materials more comprehensive, we group/combine metal phosphates by their metal oxidation state, starting with metal (IV) phosphates and pyrophosphates, considering historical rationales and taking into account the accumulated body of knowledge of these compounds. We highlight the main characteristics of super protonic CsH2PO4, its applicability, as well as the affordance of its composite derivatives. We finish by discussing relevant structure-conducting property correlations for divalent and trivalent metal phosphates. Overall, emphasis is placed on materials exhibiting outstanding properties for applications as electrolyte components or single electrolytes in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells and Intermediate Temperature Fuel Cells.

Highly Conductive and Thermostable Grafted Polyrotaxane/Ceramic Hybrid Polymer Electrolyte for Solid-State Lithium-Metal Batteries

Although polymer electrolytes have been regarded as potential separator materials for high energy density solid-state lithium-based batteries, their applications were significantly restricted by the low ionic conductivity, poor mechanical strength, and thermostability. Herein, a highly conductive and thermostable hybrid polymer electrolyte was developed by combining poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)-grafted polyrotaxane and nano-Al₂O₃ particles. In this unique hybrid, not only the Lewis acid-type Al₂O₃ and the fluorine groups of polyrotaxane branches exhibited strong integration with ionic species to accelerate the dissociation of lithium salt, improving the Li ionic conductivity, but also the abundant hydroxy functional groups on the surface of Al₂O₃ hydrogen-bonded with fluorine-containing branches, enhancing the mechanical strength. More importantly, the hybrid electrolyte exhibited superior thermal stability due to the heat resistance of the ceramic filler and the unique bead string structure of polyrotaxane. Consequently, a polymer electrolyte with a comprehensively improved performance was obtained, including high ionic conductivity and Li⁺ transfer number and superior tensile strength and thermostability. The hybrid electrolyte provided a dendrite-free lithium anode with a long life up to 1800 h and stable solid-state lithium-metal batteries at a high temperature of 80 °C.

A Review on Sulfonated Polymer Composite/Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Membranes to Address Methanol Barrier Issue for Methanol Fuel Cells

This paper focuses on a literature analysis and review of sulfonated polymer (s-Poly) composites, sulfonated organic, inorganic, and organic-inorganic hybrid membranes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEM) systems, particularly for methanol fuel cell applications. In this review, we focused mainly on the detailed analysis of the distinct segment of s-Poly composites/organic-inorganic hybrid membranes, the relationship between composite/organic- inorganic materials, structure, and performance. The ion exchange membrane, their size distribution and interfacial adhesion between the s-Poly composites, nanofillers, and functionalized nanofillers are also discussed. The paper emphasizes the enhancement of the s-Poly composites/organic-inorganic hybrid membrane properties such as low electronic conductivity, high proton conductivity, high mechanical properties, thermal stability, and water uptake are evaluated and compared with commercially available Nafion^® membrane.

Enhanced Proton Conductivity of Sulfonated Hybrid Poly(arylene ether ketone) Membranes by Incorporating an Amino-Sulfo Bifunctionalized Metal-Organic Framework for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Novel side-chain-type sulfonated poly(arylene ether ketone) (SNF-PAEK) containing naphthalene and fluorine moieties on the main chain was prepared in this work, and a new amino-sulfo-bifunctionalized metal-organic framework (MNS, short for MIL-101-NH₂-SO₃H) was synthesized via a hydrothermal technology and postmodification. Then, MNS was incorporated into a SNF-PAEK matrix as an inorganic nanofiller to prepare a series of organic-inorganic hybrid membranes (MNS@SNF-PAEK-XX). The mechanical property, methanol resistance, electrochemistry, and other properties of MNS@SNF-PAEK-XX hybrid membranes were characterized in detail. We found that the mechanical strength and methanol resistances of these hybrid membranes were improved by the formation of an ionic cross-linking structure between -NH₂ of MNS and -SO₃H on the side chain of SNF-PAEK. Particularly, the proton conductivity of these hybrid membranes increased obviously after the addition of MNS. MNS@SNF-PAEK-3% exhibited the proton conductivity of 0.192 S·cm^-1, which was much higher than those of the pristine membrane (0.145 S·cm^-1) and recast Nafion (0.134 S·cm^-1) at 80 °C. This result indicated that bifunctionalized MNS rearranged the microstructure of hybrid membranes, which could accelerate the transfer of protons. The hybrid membrane (MNS@SNF-PAEK-3%) showed a better direct methanol fuel cell performance with a higher peak power density of 125.7 mW/cm² at 80 °C and a higher open-circuit voltage (0.839 V) than the pristine membrane.