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SPEEK/Zeolite/Ionic‐Liquid Anhydrous Polymer Membranes for Fuel‐Cell Applications
Author(s) -
da Trindade Letícia G.,
Pereira Ernesto C.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
european journal of inorganic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1099-0682
pISSN - 1434-1948
DOI - 10.1002/ejic.201601559
Subject(s) - membrane , thermogravimetric analysis , ionic liquid , trifluoromethanesulfonate , chemistry , anhydrous , thermal stability , zeolite , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , ionic conductivity , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , polymer , ether , conductivity , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , electrolyte , catalysis , biochemistry , engineering , electrode
Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK)/zeolite/ionic‐liquid composite membranes were prepared with different amounts of 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ([C 4 MI]CF 3 SO 3 ) or 1‐decyl‐3‐methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ([C 10 MI]CF 3 SO 3 ) ionic liquids (ILs). The structure of the composite membranes was investigated by FTIR‐ATR spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and by thermogravimetric analyses. The introduction of the IL, encapsulated in zeolite, into the SPEEK polymer leads to improvement of the water uptake, thermal stability, and proton conductivity of the composite membranes, compared with pristine SPEEK. The proton conductivity of the membranes with 1.5 % and 2.0 % [C 4 MI]CF 3 SO 3 IL showed values of 3.34 mS cm –1 and 5.98 mS cm –1 , respectively, under anhydrous conditions at 80 °C. The conductivity obtained for these membranes is about 100 times higher than for pristine SPEEK (0.038 mS cm –1 ).