Influence of polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) loading on the properties of Nafion composite membranes

Composite membranes based on Nafion (N115) loaded with furfuryl alcohol (FA) were prepared by in situ acid-catalyzed polymerization technique, with the aim to improve the ionic conductivity of Nafion membranes. The functionalization, thermal stability, electrical properties and mechanical strength of N115-PFA composites was analyzed by means of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy, small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), electrical impedance spectroscopy, dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) and dynamic mechanical analyser (DMA). The FA loading in the resultant composites had a positive correlation with the water uptake (W_u), water vapor uptake (W_vu), ionic conductivity and thermo-mechanical stability. At low polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) loading, these membranes displayed higher W_u and improved ionic and electrical properties. Further, the thermo-mechanical stability also gradually increased with the PFA loading. All the composites showed a well-defined glass transition temperature in DMA, which shifted to higher temperature with repeated PFA loading. Overall, the results indicate that the developed composite membrane are promising for low temperature polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells.