New Sulfonated Poly(p-phenylenesulfone)/Poly(1-oxotrimethylene) Nanocomposite Proton-Conducting Membranes for PEMFCs

Two series of membranes, A and B, were prepared by the following synthesis protocols. A-type membranes were obtained by a solvent casting process from solutions prepared by dissolving three different blends of poly(1-oxotrimethylene) (PK) and sulfonated poly(pphenylenesulfone) (sPSO2) in DMAc. B-type materials were prepared using a two-step process. First, an inorganic-organic hybrid nanofiller was synthesized by CO-ethene copolymerization in the presence of silica nanoparticles. From this synthesis, a hybrid nanofiller, [SiO2/(PK)0.65], with 35 wt % of SiO2 was obtained. Membranes were produced by a solvent casting process from solutions prepared by dispersing different amounts (10, 20, 30 wt %) of the [SiO2/(PK)0.65] nanofiller in a sPSO2/DMAc solution. As compared to pristine sPSO2 and the A-type materials, the presence of the hybrid nanofiller in the B-type membranes reduces the water uptake and membranes' swelling and increases the proton conductivity at low membrane hydration levels.