Issue 22, 2022

Proton conductivity dependence on the surface polymer thickness of core–shell type nanoparticles in a proton exchange membrane

Abstract

The proton exchange membrane (PEM) is the main component that determines the performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. The construction of proton-conduction channels capable of fast proton conduction is an important topic in PEM research. In this study, we have developed poly(vinylphosphonic acid)-block-polystyrene (PVPA-b-PS)-coated core–shell type silica nanoparticles prepared by in situ polymerization and a core–shell type nanoparticle-filled PEM. In this system, two-dimensional (2D) proton-conduction channels have been constructed between PVPA and the surface of silica nanoparticles, and three-dimensional proton-conduction channels were constructed by connecting these 2D channels by filling with the core–shell type nanoparticles. The proton conductivities and activation energies of pelletized PVPA-coated core–shell type nanoparticles increased depending on the coated PVPA thickness. Additionally, pelletized PVPA-b-PS-coated silica nanoparticles showed a good proton conductivity of 1.3 × 10−2 S cm−1 at 80 °C and 95% RH. Also, the membrane state achieved 1.8 × 10−4 S cm−1 in a similar temperature and humidity environment. Although these proton conductivities were lower than those of PVPA, they have advantages such as low activation energy for proton conduction, suppression of swelling due to water absorption, and the ability to handle samples in powder form. Moreover, by using PS simultaneously, we succeeded in improving the stability of proton conductivity against changes in the temperature and humidity environment. Therefore, we have demonstrated a highly durable, tough but still enough high proton conductive material by polymer coating onto the surface of nanoparticles and also succeeded in constructing proton-conduction channels through the easy integration of core–shell type nanoparticles.

Graphical abstract: Proton conductivity dependence on the surface polymer thickness of core–shell type nanoparticles in a proton exchange membrane

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 jul 2022
Accepted
02 sep 2022
First published
03 sep 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Nanoscale Adv., 2022,4, 4714-4723

Proton conductivity dependence on the surface polymer thickness of core–shell type nanoparticles in a proton exchange membrane

K. Tabata, T. Nohara, H. Nakazaki, T. Makino, T. Saito, T. Arita and A. Masuhara, Nanoscale Adv., 2022, 4, 4714 DOI: 10.1039/D2NA00450J

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements