Two‐in‐One: Inherent Anhydrous and Water‐Assisted High Proton Conduction in a 3D Metal–Organic Framework

The development of solid‐state proton‐conducting materials with high conductivity that operate under both anhydrous and humidified conditions is currently of great interest in fuel‐cell technology. A 3D metal–organic framework (MOF) with acid–base pairs in its coordination space that efficiently conducts protons under both anhydrous and humid conditions has now been developed. The anhydrous proton conductivity for this MOF is among the highest values that have been reported for MOF materials, whereas its water‐assisted proton conductivity is comparable to that of the organic polymer Nafion, which is currently used for practical applications. Unlike other MOFs, which conduct protons either under anhydrous or humid conditions, this compound should represent a considerable advance in the development of efficient solid‐state proton‐conducting materials that work under both anhydrous and humid conditions.     

Anhydrous Superprotonic Conductivity in the Zirconium Acid Triphosphate ZrH5(PO4)3**

The development of solid-state proton conductors with high proton conductivity at low temperatures is crucial for the implementation of hydrogen-based technologies for portable and automotive applications. Here, we report on the discovery of a new crystalline metal acid triphosphate, ZrH₅(PO₄)₃ (ZP3), which exhibits record-high proton conductivity of 0.5–3.1×10⁻² S cm⁻¹ in the range 25–110 °C in anhydrous conditions. This is the highest anhydrous proton conductivity ever reported in a crystalline solid proton conductor in the range 25–110 °C. Superprotonic conductivity in ZP3 is enabled by extended defective frustrated hydrogen bond chains, where the protons are dynamically disordered over two oxygen centers. The high proton conductivity and stability in anhydrous conditions make ZP3 an excellent candidate for innovative applications in fuel cells without the need for complex water management systems, and in other energy technologies requiring fast proton transfer.     

Synthesis, characterization and proton transport properties of mixed metal phosphonate-zirconium titanium hydroxy ethylidene diphosphonate

Novel hybrid material, zirconium titanium hydroxy ethylidene diphosphonate (ZTHEDP) of the class of tetravalent bimetallic acid (TBMA) salt was synthesized using sol-gel route. ZTHEDP was characterized for elemental analysis (zirconium, titanium and phosphorus by ICP-AES and carbon and hydrogen by CHN analyzer), spectral analysis (FTIR), thermal analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction studies and SEM. Chemical resistivity of this material was assessed in various media-acids, bases and organic solvents. The protons present in the structural hydroxyl groups in ZTHEDP indicate good potential to exhibit solid state proton conduction. The proton transport property of ZTHEDP was explored by measuring specific conductance at different temperatures in the range of 303–423 K at 10 K intervals, using Solartron Impedance Analyzer (SI 1260) over a frequency range 1 Hz-32 MHz at a signal level below 1 V. Zirconium hydroxy ethylidene diphosphonate (ZrHEDP) and titanium hydroxy ethylidene diphosphonate (TiHEDP) were also synthesized under identical conditions, characterized and their proton transport properties investigated for comparative studies. It is observed that, in all cases, conductivity decreases with increasing temperature. Conductivity performance of ZTHEDP, ZrHEDP and TiHEDP is discussed based on conductivity data and activation energy. It is observed that, ZTHEDP exhibits enhanced conductance and the mechanism of transportation is proposed to be Grotthuss type.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymers with sulfonimide side groups for a proton‐exchange membrane

A sulfonimide‐containing comonomer derived from 4,4′‐dichlorodiphenylsulfone was synthesized and copolymerized with 4,4′‐dichlorodiphenylsulfone and 4,4′‐biphenol to prepare sulfonimide‐containing poly(arylene ether sulfone) random copolymers (BPSIs). These copolymers showed slightly higher water uptake than disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymer (BPSH) controls, but their proton‐conductivity values were very comparable to those of the BPSH series with similar ion contents. The proton conductivity increased with the temperature for both systems. For samples with 30 mol % ionic groups, BPSI showed less temperature dependence in proton conductivity and slightly higher methanol permeability in comparison with BPSH. The thermal characterization of the sulfonimide copolymers showed that both the acid and salt forms were stable up to 250 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere. The results suggested that the presumed enhanced stability of the sulfonimide systems did not translate into higher protonic conductivity in liquid water. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6007–6014, 2006     

Preparation and characterization of proton-conducting sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)/phosphatoantimonic acid composite membranes

The solid proton conductor, phosphatoantimonic acid, HSbP₂O₈ · H₂O was prepared by ion exchange of the corresponding potassium salt. The composite membranes of SPEEK with up to 40 wt% of HSbP₂O₈ · H₂O were prepared by introducing the solid proton conductor from the aqueous suspension. The composite membranes were characterized using FT-IR, powder X-ray diffraction, SEM, DSC/TGA. Thermal stability of the composite membranes was slightly lower than that of SPEEK. The composite membranes had higher water uptake when compared with SPEEK and the membranes exhibited controlled swelling up to 50 °C. The proton conductivity of the membranes was measured under 100% relative humidity up to 70 °C. The composite membranes showed enhanced proton conductivity up to 20 wt% of HSbP₂O₈ · H₂O and the conductivity was reduced with further increase of HSbP₂O₈ · H₂O loading. A maximum of four-fold increase in proton conductivity at 70 °C was observed for the composite membrane with 20 wt% of solid proton conductor.     

多孔有机盐单晶的合成及各向异性质子导电性能

以cis,cis-1,3,5-三氨基环己烷·3HBr和均苯四甲酸在室温下通过离子键构筑了具有规整形貌和大尺寸的晶态多孔有机盐CPOS-10, 其具有较好的热稳定性和永久多孔性. 得益于规整形貌及大尺寸单晶, 首次实现了对多孔有机盐单晶各向异性质子导电性能的研究, 并结合晶体结构探索了各向异性质子导电的机理. 结果表明, 水分子浓度对CPOS-10质子电导率的大小具有重要作用, 骨架内水分子浓度高的晶面更易于与极性基团构成氢键网络, 促进质子传导, 利用此网络的质子传导具有更高的质子电导率. 因此, 骨架内水分子的不均匀分布是导致单晶各向异性质子导电的主要原因. 对CPOS-10单晶各向异性质子导电性能的探索可为研究多孔有机盐的质子导电机理提供重要的依据.     

Gelation and ionic conductivity of fluoroalkyl end-capped 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid oligomers in ionic liquids

Fluoroalkyl end-capped 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid oligomer could cause a gelation in an ionic liquid (1-methylpyrazolium tetrafluoroborate) under non-crosslinked conditions. This new fluorinated oligomer gel formed in the ionic liquid was found to exhibit a high ionic (proton) conductivity of 10⁻² S/cm level at room temperature.     

聚合物固体电解质中的离子状态与导电机理的研究

制备得到了一种新颖的聚氨酯和丙烯酸酯复合梳形交联聚合物 (Combcross linkedpolymer) ,并以此聚合物为基体加入不同含量的高氯酸锂盐制得一系列聚合物固体电解质 ,其室温电导率可以达到 3 4× 10 - 5S·cm- 1 .通过Raman、DSC、SEM及电性能等研究了电解质中的盐浓度与离子存在状态及离子电导率之间的关系 .结果显示随着盐浓度的增加 ,聚合物固体电解质中离子对的比例和电导率都迅速增加 ,说明离子对 (由多个醚氧原子、阴离子和阳离子组成 )对体系导电起着积极的作用 .     

Thermally Stable Super Ionic Conductor from Carbon Sphere Oxide

A highly stable proton conductor has been developed from carbon sphere oxide (CSO). Carbon sphere (CS) generated from sucrose was oxidized successfully to CSO using Hummers’ graphite oxidation technique. At room temperature and 90 % relative humidity, the proton conductivity of thin layer CSO on microsized comb electrode was found to be 8.7×10^?3 S cm^?1, which is higher than that for a similar graphene oxide (GO) sample (3.4×10^?3 S cm^?1). The activation energy (E_a) of 0.258 eV suggests that the proton is conducted through the Grotthuss mechanism. The carboxyl functional groups on the CSO surface are primarily responsible for transporting protons. In contrast to conventional carbon‐based proton conductors, in which the functional groups decompose around 80 °C, CSO has a stable morphology and functional groups with reproducible proton conductivity up to 400 °C. Even once annealed at different temperatures at high relative humidity, the proton conductivity of CSO remains almost unchanged, whereas significant change is seen with a similar GO sample. After annealing at 100 and 200 °C, the respective proton conductivity of CSO was almost the same, and was about ～50 % of the proton conductivity at room temperature. Carbon‐based solid electrolyte with such high thermal stability and reproducible proton conductivity is desired for practical applications. We expect that a CSO‐based proton conductor would be applicable for fuel cells and sensing devices operating under high temperatures.     

Guest‐Assisted Proton Conduction in the Sulfonic Mesoporous MIL‐101 MOF

Post‐synthesis modification of MIL‐101(Cr)‐NO₂ was explored in order to decorate the organic backbone by propyl‐sulfonic groups, with the aim to incorporate mobile and acidic protons for solid‐state proton electrolyte applications. The resulting solid switched from insulating towards proton superconductive behavior under humidity, while the conductivity recorded at 363 K and 95 % relative humidity reached 4.8×10^?3 S cm^?1. Propitiously, the impregnation of the material by strong acidic molecules (H₂SO₄) further boosted the proton conductivity performances up to the remarkable σ value of 1.3×10^?1 S cm^?1 at 363 K/95 % RH, which reaches the performances of the best proton conductive MOF reported so far.     

A novel approach for highly proton conductive electrolyte membranes with improved methanol barrier properties: Layer-by-Layer assembly of salt containing polyelectrolytes

A series of highly proton conductive electrolyte membranes with improved methanol barrier properties are prepared from polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSS) including salt by Layer-by-Layer (LbL) method. The effects of added salt type (NaCl, MgCl₂) and salt concentration (1.0 M, 0.1 M) on proton conductivity (σ) and methanol barrier properties of the LbL self-assembled composite membranes are discussed in terms of controlled layer thickness and charge density. Furthermore, the influences of ion type in the multilayered composite membranes are studied in conjunction with physicochemical and thermal properties.The deposition of the self-assembly of PAH/PSS film on Nafion is followed by UV–Vis spectroscopy and it is observed that the polyelectrolyte layers growth on both sides of Nafion membrane regularly. (PAH/PSS)₅–Na⁺ and (PAH/PSS)₅–H⁺ with 1.0 M NaCl exhibits 49.6 and 27.8% reduction in lower methanol permittivity in comparison with the pristine Nafion^®117, respectively, while the proton conductivities are 12.97 and 74.69 mS cm⁻¹. Promisingly, it is found that the membrane selectivity values (Φ) of all multilayered membranes in H⁺ form are much higher than that of salt form (Na⁺ and Mg²⁺) and perfluorosulfonated ionomers reported in the literature. Also, we find out that the use of polyelectrolytes with high charge density causes a further improvement in proton conductivity and methanol barrier properties simultaneously. These encouraging results indicate that upon a suitable choice of LbL deposition conditions, composite membranes exhibiting both high proton conductivity and improved methanol barrier properties can be tailored for fuel cells.     

Influence of chemical composition and sequence length on the transport properties of proton exchange membranes

One of the integral parts of the fuel cell is the proton exchange membrane. Our research group has been engaged in the past few years in the synthesis of several sulfonated poly(arylene ether) random copolymers. The copolymers were varied in both the bisphenol structure as well as in the functional groups in the backbone such as sulfone and ketones. To compare the effect of sequence length, multiblock copolymers based on poly(arylene ether sulfone)s were synthesized. This paper aims to describe our investigation of the effect of chemical composition, morphology, and ion exchange capacity (IEC) on the transport properties of proton conducting membranes. The key properties examined were proton conductivity, methanol permeability, and water self diffusion coefficient in the membranes. It was observed that under fully hydrated conditions, proton conductivity for both random and block copolymers was a function of IEC and water uptake. However, under partially hydrated conditions, the block copolymers showed improved proton conductivity over the random copolymers. The proton conductivity for the block copolymer series was found to increase with increasing block lengths under partially hydrated conditions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2226–2239, 2006     

Pore Geometry and Surface Engineering of Covalent Organic Frameworks for Anhydrous Proton Conduction

Developing new materials for anhydrous proton conduction under high-temperature conditions is significant and challenging. Herein, we create a series of highly crystalline covalent organic frameworks (COFs) via a pore engineering approach. We simultaneously engineer the pore geometry (generating concave dodecagonal nanopores) and pore surface (installing multiple functional groups such as −C=N−, −OH, −N=N− and −CF₃) to improve the utilization efficiency and host–guest interaction of proton carriers, hence benefiting the enhancement of anhydrous proton conduction. Upon loading with H₃PO₄, COFs can realize a proton conductivity of 2.33×10⁻² S cm⁻¹ under anhydrous conditions, among the highest values of all COF materials. These materials demonstrate good stability and maintain high proton conductivity over a wide temperature range (80–160 °C). This work paves a new way for designing COFs for anhydrous proton conduction applications, which shows great potential as high-temperature proton exchange membranes.     

Promotion of low-humidity proton conduction by controlling hydrophilicity in layered metal-organic frameworks

We controlled the hydrophilicity of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to achieve high proton conductivity and high adsorption of water under low humidity conditions, by employing novel class of MOFs, {NR(3)(CH(2)COOH)}[MCr(ox)(3)]·nH(2)O (abbreviated as R-MCr, where R = Me (methyl), Et (ethyl), or Bu (n-butyl), and M = Mn or Fe): Me-FeCr, Et-MnCr, Bu-MnCr, and Bu-FeCr. The cationic components have a carboxyl group that functions as the proton carrier. The hydrophilicity of the cationic ions was tuned by the NR(3) residue to decrease with increasing bulkiness of the residue: {NMe(3)(CH(2)COOH)}(+) > {NEt(3)(CH(2)COOH)}(+) > {NBu(3)(CH(2)COOH)}(+). The proton conduction of the MOFs increased with increasing hydrophilicity of the cationic ions. The most hydrophilic sample, Me-FeCr, adsorbed a large number of water molecules and showed a high proton conductivity of ~10(-4) S cm(-1), even at a low humidity of 65% relative humidity (RH), at ambient temperature. Notably, this is the highest conductivity among the previously reported proton-conducting MOFs that operate under low RH conditions.     

基于杂多酸的固体高质子导体*

杂多酸固体高质子导体在燃料电池、传感器和电显色装置等方面具有潜在的应用前景。本文概述了杂多酸的质子导电性,归纳了其质子导电性的一些规律,以表格形式列举了各类杂多酸的电导率。将不同质量分数的杂多酸固载在各类固体基质上,可以对杂多酸质子导电材料改性以便于工业中实际应用。这些杂化材料兼有杂多酸的高质子导电性以及基质的稳定性与机械延展性。本文综述了近几年来新型杂多酸,杂多酸-无机基质复合材料,杂多酸-有机基质复合材料,杂多酸-多元基复合材料的质子电导率、稳定性、结构形态等等方面的研究进展,详细介绍了杂多酸在质子交换膜燃料电池中的应用,并对杂多酸固体高质子导体的应用前景进行了展望。     

Polymer electrolyte membranes based on p‐toluenesulfonic acid doped poly(1‐vinyl‐1,2,4‐triazole): Synthesis,thermal and proton conductivity properties

Throughout this work, the synthesis, thermal as well as proton conducting properties of acid doped heterocyclic polymer were studied under anhydrous conditions. In this context, poly(1‐vinyl‐1,2,4‐triazole), PVTri was produced by free radical polymerization of 1‐vinyl‐1,2,4‐triazole with a high yield. The structure of the homopolymer was proved by FTIR and solid state ¹³C CP‐MAS NMR spectroscopy. The polymer was doped with p‐toluenesulfonic acid at various molar ratios, x = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, with respect to polymer repeating unit. The proton transfer from p‐toluenesulfonic acid to the triazole rings was proved with FTIR spectroscopy. Thermogravimetry analysis showed that the samples are thermally stable up to ～250 °C. Differential scanning calorimetry results illustrated that the materials are homogeneous and the dopant strongly affects the glass transition temperature of the host polymer. Cyclic voltammetry results showed that the electrochemical stability domain extends over 3 V. The proton conductivity of these materials increased with dopant concentration and the temperature. Charge transport relaxation times were derived via complex electrical modulus formalism (M*). The temperature dependence of conductivity relaxation times showed that the proton conductivity occurs via structure diffusion. In the anhydrous state, the proton conductivity of PVTri1PTSA and PVTri2PTSA was measured as 8 × 10^?4 S/cm at 150 °C and 0.012 S/cm at 110 °C, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1016–1021, 2010     

Coordination polymer glass from a protic ionic liquid: proton conductivity and mechanical properties as an electrolyte

High proton conducting electrolytes with mechanical moldability are a key material for energy devices. We propose an approach for creating a coordination polymer (CP) glass from a protic ionic liquid for a solid-state anhydrous proton conductor. A protic ionic liquid (dema)(H₂PO₄), with components which also act as bridging ligands, was applied to construct a CP glass (dema)_0.35[Zn(H₂PO₄)_2.35(H₃PO₄)_0.65]. The structural analysis revealed that large Zn–H₂PO₄⁻/H₃PO₄ coordination networks formed in the CP glass. The network formation results in enhancement of the properties of proton conductivity and viscoelasticity. High anhydrous proton conductivity (σ = 13.3 mS cm⁻¹ at 120 °C) and a high transport number of the proton (0.94) were achieved by the coordination networks. A fuel cell with this CP glass membrane exhibits a high open-circuit voltage and power density (0.15 W cm⁻²) under dry conditions at 120 °C due to the conducting properties and mechanical properties of the CP glass.

A proton-conducting coordination polymer glass derived from a protic ionic liquid works as a moldable solid electrolyte and the anhydrous fuel cell showed I–V performance of 0.15 W cm⁻² at 120 °C.     

Nanostructure evolution in high-temperature perfluorosulfonic acid ionomer membrane by small-angle X-ray scattering

The high-temperature morphology of supported liquid membranes (SLMs) prepared from perfluorinated membranes such as Nafion and Hyflon and hydrophobic ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (BMI-TFSI) has been investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Proton conductivity results of SLMs before and after leaching show an increase in conductivity with temperature up to 160 °C in an anhydrous environment. DSC results show that crystallites within perfluorinated membranes are thermally stable up to 196 °C. High-temperature SAXS results have been used to correlate structure and morphology of supported liquid membranes with high-temperature conductivity data. The ionic liquid essentially acts as a proton solvent in a similar way to water in hydrated Nafion membranes and increases size of clusters, which allow percolation to be achieved more easily. The cation of the ionic liquid interacts with sulfonate groups within ionic domains through electrostatic interactions and displaces protons. Protons can associate with free anions of the ionic liquid, which are loosely associated with cations and can transport by hopping from anion sites within the membrane. The ionic liquid contributes to proton conductivity at high temperature through achievement of long-range ordering and subsequent percolation.     

异烟酸氮氧化物/磷钼酸镍络合物掺杂硅胶复合物的制备及其质子导电性(英文)

制备了异烟酸氮氧化物(简计为HINO)/磷钼酸镍有机-无机络合物({[Ni(H2O)8][H(H2O)2.5](HINO)4(PMo12O40)}n;简计为1)掺杂硅胶复合物(简计为1-SG1);采用红外光谱仪和X射线衍射仪证实了合成产物的结构.结果表明,化合物1的结构特征在1-SG1硅胶复合物中得以保留.与此同时,在约98%的相对湿度下,1-SG1在温度55~100℃范围内显示良好的导电性,其质子导电率达到8.98×10-3~1.03×10-2 S·cm-1;并且,在同等条件下,1-SG1的质子导电性优于化合物1.     

Comparative studies of the behavior of neutral and ionic ferrocene derivatives under different conditions of electrospray ionization

We have studied the behavior of ferrocene CpFeCp (FcH), ferrocenium triiodide [FcH]⁺I₃⁻, dimethylaminomethylferrocene FcCH₂NMe₂ and its trimethylammonium salt [FcCH₂NMe₃]⁺I⁻ under the conventional conditions of electrospray ionization (ESI), when the substance solution is subjected to spraying, and in two versions of desorption electrospray ionization (DESI), when the sprayed solvent bombards the surface of solid or liquid samples. In addition to these techniques, the behavior of neutral compounds under conditions of electrospray ionization of vapors of the studied compounds in a gas phase (ESI_V) has been investigated. It has been shown using the examples of ferrocene and its dimethylaminomethyl derivative that the detection limits for these compounds occurring in a gas phase are comparable within an order of magnitude with their detection limits under the ESI and DESI conditions of solid and liquid samples. The high effectiveness of ionization of analyte vapors makes it possible to use the ESI method not only in combination with liquid (conventional ESI technology) and thin layer chromatography (DESI), but also with gas liquid chromatography (ESI_V). Thus, the electrospray ionization becomes a universal method allowing studies of a compound under the natural conditions in any state of aggregation, that is, solid, liquid, and gas. With the help of statistical methods for designing experiments (complete factorial experiment), quantitative evaluation of the influence of experimental parameters on the ion-formation processes under different ESI conditions has been carried out, which makes it possible to purposefully select the optimal conditions to record the ESI mass spectra with a minimum number of experiments. Moreover, analysis of the dependences of the mass spectra on the experimental parameters can serve as an instrument for studying the details of the ion-formation mechanisms depending upon different ways of ionization.