Elsevier, Journal of Membrane Science, (513), p. 12-19
DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2016.04.002
Full text: Unavailable
The developmentofefficient hybridmembranesforhightemperatureProtonExchangeMembraneFuelCell (PEMFC)iscurrentlyunderinvestigation.Here,weshowthattheelectrospinningprocesscombinedwith thesol-gelchemistryconducestomembraneswithprotonicconductivitysimilartoNafion, athightemperatureundertherelativehumidityof90%,andwithanisotropicmechanicalpropertiesduetothepresence oflong-rangeanisotropicobject.Theelectrospunmembranes’ morphology isalsohighlyde-pendent onthesol-gelchemistry(with/withoutadditives)aswellastheprocessingparametersin-cluding relativehumidity,appliedelectrical field, temperature,rotatingelectrode'sspeed… Our hybridfibers arebasedonpoly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene)(PVDF-HFP)/SO3H-silica networksthat combinestheabilitytomimicthenanostructuralphaseseparationobservedinhydratedNafionwith majorfeature,thatis,arrayoforientatedionicnanochannelsintermingledwithinalocallyalignedpolymer,whereprotoncaneasilydiffuseinthistubularnanostructure.