Journal
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
Volume 9, Issue 37, Pages 31922-31930Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b09591
Keywords
proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs); high-temperature proton exchange membranes (HT-PEMs); PES-PVP composite polymer; amino-functionalized hollow mesoporous silica (NH2-HMS); phosphotungstic acid (PWA); ion-exchange-induced selective etching
Funding
- Australia Research Council [DP150102025, DP150102044]
- ForskEl program (Dura PEMIII)
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As differentiated from conventional synthetic processes, amino-functionalized hollow mesoporous silica (NH2-HMS) has been synthesized using a new and facile strategy of ion-exchange-induced selective etching of amino-functionalized mesoporous silica (NH2-meso-silica) by an alkaline solution. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and in situ time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) reveal that ion-exchange-induced selective etching arises from the gradient distribution of OH- in the NH2-meso-silica nanospheres. Moreover, the ion exchange-induced selective etching mechanism is verified through a successful synthesis of hollow mesoporous silica. After infiltration with phosphotungstic acid (PWA), PWA-NH2-HMS nanoparticles are dispersed in the poly(ether sulfone)polyvinylpyrrolidone (PES-PVP) matrix, forming a hybrid PWA-NH2-HMS/PES-PVP nanocomposite membrane. The resultant nanocomposite membrane with an optimum loading of 10 wt % of PWA-NH2-HMS showed an enhanced proton conductivity of 0.175 S cm(-1) and peak power density of 420 mW cm(-2) at 180 degrees C under anhydrous conditions. Excellent durability of the hybrid composite membrane fuel cell has been demonstrated at 200 degrees C. The results of this study demonstrated the potential of the facile synthetic strategy in the fabrication of NH2-HMS with controlled mesoporous structure for application in nanocomposite membranes as a technology platform for elevated-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells.
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