Premium
Sulfonic acid polymer–densely grafted poly(ethersulfone)s for a highly proton‐conducting membrane
Author(s) -
Okayasu Teruyuki,
Hirose Koji,
Nishide Hiroyuki
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
polymers for advanced technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.61
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1099-1581
pISSN - 1042-7147
DOI - 10.1002/pat.1919
Subject(s) - sulfonic acid , membrane , grafting , polyelectrolyte , materials science , nafion , polymer chemistry , polymer , proton , proton exchange membrane fuel cell , chemical engineering , nuclear chemistry , chemistry , composite material , electrochemistry , biochemistry , physics , electrode , quantum mechanics , engineering
Proton‐conducting polyelectrolytes were prepared by densely grafting novel sulfonic acid polymers, poly(styrenesulfamide acid) (PSA) and poly(vinylsulfonic acid) (PVS), on the azo‐initiator‐modified poly(ethersulfone) (PSU). The grafted PSUs provided both a high ion‐exchange capacity (IEC) and a good membrane formability. The proton‐conductivities of the PSA‐ g ‐PSU and PVS‐ g ‐PSU membranes were 8.2 and 21 mS cm −1 , respectively, at 90°C under a hydrated condition, and 4.1 and 1.7 mS cm −1 , respectively, at 150°C under a nonhumidified condition. The latter conductivities were significantly higher than that of Nafion® 117 (0.03 mS cm −1 at 150°C), which was ascribed to both the strong acidity of the graft chains even under the water‐free state and the high IEC of the densely grafted membrane. They remained constant for over 1 week at 150°C. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.