Crosslinking of polybenzimidazole membranes by divinylsulfone post-treatment for high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell applications

Phosphoric acid-doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) has been suggested as a promising electrolyte for proton exchange membrane fuel cells operating at temperatures up to 200 degrees C. This paper describes the development of a crosslinking procedure for PBI membranes by post-treatment with divinylsulfone. The crosslinking chemistry was studied and optimized on a low-molecular-weight model system and the results were used to optimize the crosslinking conditions of PBI membranes. The crosslinked membranes were characterized with respect to chemical and physiochemical properties, showing improved mechanical strength and oxidative stability compared with their linear analogues. Fuel cell tests were further conducted in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the crosslinked membranes. (C) 2011 Society of Chemical Industry