Synthesis and Characterization of Sulfonated Polyphosphazene-graft-Polystyrene Copolymersfor Proton Exchange Membranes简

A novel series of polyphosphazene-grafl-polystyrene （PP-g-PS） copolymers were successfully prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization （ATRP） of styrene monomers and brominated poly（bis（4-methylphenoxy）phosphazene） macroinitiator. The graft density and the graft length could be regulated by changing the bromination degree of the macroinitiator and the ATRP reaction time, respectively. The PP-g-PS copolymers readily underwent a regioselective sulfonation reaction, which occurred preferentially at the polystyrene sites, producing the sulfonated PP-g-PS copolymers with a range of ion exchange capacities. The resulting sulfonated PP-g-PS membranes prepared by solution casting showed high water uptake, low water swelling and considerable proton conductivity. They also exhibited good oxidative stability and high resistance to methanol crossover. Morphological studies of the membranes by transmission electron microscopy showed clear nanophase-separated structures resulted from hydrophobic polyphosphazene backbone and hydrophilic polystyrene sulfonic acid segments, indicating the formation of proton transferring tunnels. Therefore, these sulfonated copolymers may be candidate materials for proton exchange membranes in direct methanol fuel cell （DMFC） applications.     

Synthesis and characterization of sulfonated polyimide membranes for direct methanol fuel cell

The sulfonated polyimide (SPI) membranes for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) were synthesized with 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), 2,2′-benzidinedisulfonic acid (BDSA), 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA) through classical two-step methods: (1) preparation of sulfonated poly(amic acid) (SPAA) precursors with different sulfonation levels by controlling the molar ratio of BDSA to ODA, and (2) thermal imidization of the SPAA films. The chemical structure and the imidization from SPAA membranes were characterized by FT-IR with temperature, and the sulfonation levels were determined by elemental analysis. The thermal stability of the membranes was also characterized by TGA. From water uptake and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments for different sulfonation levels, it was found that the number of water clusters in SPI membranes increased as the water uptake of membranes increased, but the size of water cluster was not changed with the sulfonation levels. The proton conductivity and the methanol permeability of SPI membrane showed a sudden leap like a percolation phenomenon around 35 mol% of sulfonation level. The SPI membranes exhibited relatively high proton conductivity and extremely low methanol permeability, and showed the feasibility of suitable polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM) for DMFC.     

Fourier transform infrared/attenuated total reflectance analysis of water diffusion in poly[styrene‐b‐isobutylene‐ b‐styrene] block copolymer membranes

A Fourier transform infrared/attenuated total reflectance technique was used to study the diffusion of water through poly(styrene‐b‐isobutylene‐b‐styrene) block copolymers (BCPs), as well as sulfonated (H⁺) and Na⁺‐sulfonated ionomer versions. Diffusion data were collected and interpreted for these membranes versus polystyrene block composition, degree of sulfonation, Na⁺ ion content in the ionomers, and the effect of initially dry versus prehydrated conditions. An “early time” diffusion coefficient, D, decreased with increasing percent polystyrene for a series of unmodified BCPs. D decreased with increasing degree of sulfonation, and with increasing ion content for the Na⁺‐exchanged samples and this was interpreted in terms of diffusion limitations caused by a strong tendency for ion hydration. The method also yielded information relating to the time evolution of water structure from the standpoint of degree of intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Membrane prehydration causes profound increases in D for both the unmodified BCP and sulfonated samples, as in plasticization. The simultaneous acquisition of information relating to interactions between water molecules and interactions of water molecules with functional groups on the host polymer matrix offers more information than conventional diffusion measurement techniques that simply count transported molecules. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 764–776, 2005     

Characterization and evaluation of commercial poly (vinylidene fluoride)‐g‐sulfonatedPolystyrene as proton exchange membrane

The possibility of developing low‐cost commercial grafted and sulfonated Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF‐g‐PSSA) membranes as proton exchange membranes for fuel cell applications have been investigated. PVDF‐g‐PSSA membranes were systematically prepared and examined with the focus of understanding how the polymer microstructure (degree of grafting and sulfonation, ion‐exchange capacity, etc) affects their methanol permeability, water uptake, and proton conductivity. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the changes of the membrane's microstructure after grafting and sulfonation. The results showed that the PVDF‐g‐PSSA membranes exhibited good thermal stability and lower methanol permeability. The proton conductivity of PVDF‐g‐PSSA membranes was also measured by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy method. It was found that the proton conductivity of PVDF‐g‐PSSA membranes depends on the degree of sulfonation. All the sulfonated membranes show high proton conductivity at 92°C, in the range of 27 to 235 mScm⁻¹, which is much higher than that of Nafion212 (102 mScm⁻¹ at 80°C). The results indicated that the PVDF‐g‐PSSA membranes are particularly promising membranes to be used as polymer electrolyte membranes due to their excellent stability, low methanol permeability, and high proton conductivity.     

新型萘酐型磺化聚酰亚胺质子交换膜的合成

以新型磺化二胺单体, 1,4-双(4-胺基-2-磺酸基苯氧基)苯(DS-TBDA)与非磺化单体1,4′-二胺基二苯醚（ODA）、 1,4,5,8-萘四酸二酐(NTDA)为原料, 采用高温聚合法, 制备了一系列具有不同磺化度的萘酐型磺化聚酰亚胺(S-PI)质子交换膜材料, 并研究了材料性能与结构的关系. 磺化度超过33%时, 质子传导率可达到与Nafion膜同一数量级的水平, 而甲醇透过率均在2.85×10-7 cm2/s以下, 比Nafion膜低1-2个数量级. 研究结果表明, 该膜有望在直接甲醇燃料电池(DMFC)中获得应用.     

Effect of Sulfonation Degree on Performance of Proton Exchange Membranes for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

A series of proton exchange membranes based on sulfonated polyarylene ether ketones(SPAEKs) was used to study the effect of sulfonation degree on proton conductivity, methanol permeation and performance of direct methanol fuel cells(DMFCs). Dependences of physical characteristics of the membranes, i. e., proton conductivity, water uptake, swelling ratio, methanol permeability and ion exchange capacity(IEC) were systematically studied. Both methanol permeability and proton conductivity of the SPAEK membrane grow rapidly as the increase in sulfonation degree since methanol molecules and protons share the same transfer channel. However,the methanol permeability plays more important role comparing to proton conductivity. As a result, the SPAEK membrane with a medium sulfonation degree(60%) was found to yield the best performance in a DMFC due to the acquirement of balanced conductivity and methanol permeability.     

Sulfonated poly(fluorene-co-sulfone)ether membranes containing perfluorocyclobutane groups for fuel cell applications

A new class of sulfonated poly(fluorene-co-sulfone)ether membranes containing perfluorocyclobutane (PFCB) groups were synthesized and characterized in terms of their electrochemical properties as proton exchange membranes for fuel cells. Two monomers, 9,9-bis(4-trifluorovinyloxyphenyl)fluorene and 4,4′-sulfonyl-bis(trifluorovinyloxy)biphenyl were synthesized and statistically copolymerized by thermal [2π + 2π] cycloaddition to yield a series of polymers containing 0–60 mol% of fluorenyl content (PFS-X). The copolymers were then sulfonated using chlorosulfonic acid to afford five kinds of ionomers with different sulfonation levels (SPFS-X), which were cast into membranes and analyzed in terms of electrochemical properties. It was found that the ion exchange capacity (IEC), water uptake, proton conductivity and methanol permeability values of SPFS-X increased with the increment of the sulfonated fluorenyl content. The proton conductivities of SPFS-50 and -60 with high IECs and water uptake values were higher than those of Nafion-115 between 25 and 80 °C. The methanol permeability of SPFS-X was considerably lower than that of Nafion-115.     

Synthesis and characterization of sulfonated naphthalenic polyimides based on 4,4′-diaminodiphenylether-2,2′-disulfonic acid and bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenylhexafluoropropane] for fuel cell applications

The paper describes the synthesis and characterization of sulfonated polyimides based on 1,4,5,8-naphthalene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (NTDA), 4,4′-diaminodiphenylether-2,2′-disulfonic acid (ODADS) and (bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenylhexafluoropropane] (BDAF)). Several copolymer samples were prepared by varying the molar ratio of ODADS: BDAF (0.5:1.50, 0.75:1.25, 1:1 and 1.50: 0.5) in the initial monomer feed. Structural characterization of the copolymers was done using FT-IR and ¹H NMR. ¹H NMR was also used to calculate the copolymer composition. Thermal characterization was done using thermogravimertry and dynamic mechanical analysis. Polymer films were prepared by solution casting using m-cresol as solvent. The membranes thus prepared were characterized for water uptake, water stability, methanol permeability and proton conductivity. The obtained sulfonated polyimides (SPI’s) had proton conductivities in the range of 0.137-3.94 mS/cm. SPI’s with 50% degree of sulfonation had proton conductivity comparable to that of Nafion with methanol permeability lower than that of Nafion. It was found that the degree of sulfonation of polyimide had a large effect on the thermal stability, water uptake, ion-exchange capacity and proton conductivity.     

Sulfonated montmorillonite/sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SMMT/SPEEK) nanocomposite membrane for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs)

A nanocomposite membrane of sulfonated montmorillonite/sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SMMT/SPEEK) is proposed for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The SMMT is clay modified with silane of which the structure consists of a sulfonic acid group for proton conductivity improvement. The micro- and nano-scaled morphologies of the membranes perform the increase in inorganic aggregation with SMMT loading content as confirmed by SEM and AFM. The membrane stability, i.e., the liquid uptake in water and in methanol aqueous solution, as well as the mechanical stability increases with the SMMT loading content whereas thermal stability does not improve significantly. The methanol permeability reduction is obtained when the SMMT loading content increases for various methanol concentrations (1.5–4.5 M). A comparative study of the SPEEK nanocomposite membranes with SMMT and with pristine MMT shows fourfold proton conductivity enhancement after sulfonation. The DMFC single cell tests inform us that all nanocomposite membranes give the significant performance revealed by the plot of current density–voltage and power density.     

Sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone) and Poly(ethylene glycol) Diacrylate Based Semi-Interpenetrating Network Membranes for Fuel Cells

Polymer electrolyte membranes are prepared from novel semi-interpenetrating polymer network material where the sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) is the linear polymer and the poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) is the cross-linking constituent. The semi-IPN is prepared by in situ polymerization of PEGDA in the presence of sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone). SPEEK is prepared by direct sulfonation of commercial PEEK (Gatone? 1100) by reported procedures. SPEEK with degree of sulfonation 63% (calculated from FT-NMR) is selected as the base membrane and different semi-IPN membranes were prepared by varying the PEGDA and SPEEK ratio. The degree of sulfonation of SPEEK and the formation of semi-IPN were confirmed by spectroscopy studies. The various semi-IPN membranes were characterized for ion-exchange capacity, water uptake, hydrolytic stability, proton conductivity and thermal stability for evaluating the suitability of these membranes for fuel cells. The proton conductivity of the membranes decreased with increasing PEGDA content. The Semi-IPN membranes exhibited conductivities (30°C) from 0.018 S/cm to 0.006 S/cm. These interpenetrating network membranes showed higher hydrolytic stability than the pure SPEEK membrane. This study shows that semi-IPN membranes based on PEGDA and SPEEK can be viable candidates for electrolyte membranes.     

Synthesis of sulfonated poly(imidoaryl ether sulfone) membranes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

New sulfonated poly(imidoaryl ether sulfone) copolymers derived from sulfonated 4,4′‐dichlorodiphenyl sulfone, 4,4′‐dichlorodiphenyl sulfone, and imidoaryl biphenol were evaluated as polymer electrolyte membranes for direct methanol fuel cells. The sulfonated membranes were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. The state of water in the membranes was measured with differential scanning calorimetry, and the existence of free water and bound water was discussed in terms of the sulfonation level. The 10 wt % weight loss temperatures of these copolymers were above 470 °C, indicating excellent thermooxidative stability to meet the severe criteria of harsh fuel‐cell conditions. The proton conductivities of the membranes ranged from 3.8 × 10^?2 to 5 × 10^?2 S/cm at 90 °C, depending on the degree of sulfonation. The sulfonated membranes maintained the original proton conductivity even after a boiling water test, and this indicated the excellent hydrolytic stability of the membranes. The methanol permeabilities ranged from 1.65 × 10^?8 to 5.14 × 10^?8 cm²/s and were lower than those of other conventional sulfonated ionomer membranes, particularly commercial perfluorinated sulfonated ionomer (Nafion). The properties of proton and methanol transport were discussed with respect to the state of water in the membranes. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5620–5631, 2005     

Proton conductive membranes of sulfonated poly(ether ketone ketone)

Poly(ether ketone ketone) was sulfonated using fumic sulfuric acid and used for preparation of proton conductive membranes. The sulfonation degree was evaluated by elemental and thermal analysis and the IEC values were determined by titration. The proton conductivity of membranes with sulfonation degrees up to 70% was determined as a function of temperature by impedance spectroscopy. Membranes with sulfonation degree 38–70% were tested in DMFC experiments. Their performance was comparable to Nafion^® with the same pretreatment and clearly better than sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) membranes with similar functionalization. The methanol crossover was lower than that of Nafion^® in the same conditions.     

PPO-based acid–base polymer blend membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

New acid–base polymer blend membranes for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) have been designed using a very accessible commercial polymer, poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO). The preparation begins with the sulfonation and bromination of PPO to sulfonated PPO (SPPO) and bromomethylated PPO (BrPPO), respectively. Blend membranes are formed by mixing n-propylamine(PrNH₂)-neutralized SPPO and PrNH₂-aminated BrPPO solutions in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), and casting the mixed solution on glass petri dishes followed by acidification with aqueous hydrochloric acid. The compatibility between the acid and base components of the blend is assured by using acidic and basic polymers deriving from the same parent polymer (PPO). Ionic crosslinking is established between the sulfonic groups of SPPO and the amine groups of aminated BrPPO. The ionic crosslinking strengthens the membrane dimensional stability by reducing water uptake and membrane swelling up to temperatures as high as 80 °C. The membranes fabricated as such display good resistance to methanol crossover amidst some, but acceptable loss of proton conductivity. The characteristic factor (i.e. the ratio of proton conductivity to methanol permeability) increases noticeably with the BrPPO content, with the sample containing 30 wt.% BrPPO showing a 16-fold improvement over Nafion 117. The mechanical properties and oxidative stability of the blend membranes also satisfy the requirements for fuel cell assembly and operation.     

含甲基磺化杂萘联苯聚醚砜酮质子交换膜材料的合成与性能

以4-(3,5-二甲基-4-羟基苯基)2,3-二氮杂萘-1-酮,3,3′-二磺酸钠-4,4′-二氟苯甲酮和4,4′-二氯二苯砜为原料,利用亲核缩聚反应,通过改变磺化单体的含量,制备出一系列不同磺化度的杂萘联苯聚醚砜酮(SPPESK-DM).采用FTIR、1H-NMR表征了聚合物的结构,热失重分析仪研究了聚合物的耐热稳定性,以N-甲基-2-吡咯烷酮为溶剂采用溶液浇铸法成膜研究该系列聚合物膜的性能.结果表明,SPPESK-DM磺酸基的热分解温度在260℃以上,主链分解温度在410℃以上;膜的吸水率、溶胀率、离子交换容量和质子传导率均随着磺化度的增大而增大,磺化度为1.0的SPPESK-DM50的质子传导率达到1.08×10-2S/cm(85℃),且甲醇渗透系数为2.06×10-7cm2/s,低于Nafion117膜的甲醇渗透系数(2×10-6cm2/s).此系列膜的耐氧化性比较优异,可望用于质子交换膜燃料电池中.     

Preparation and characterizations of asymmetric sulfonated polysulfone membranes by wet phase inversion method

This paper presents an original approach to prepare the asymmetric sulfonated polysulfone membranes by using wet phase inversion method and their applications for dehydrating a water/ethanol mixture by pervaporation. The separation performances of sulfonated membranes were strongly affected by the degree of sulfonation and the degree of swelling of membranes. The substitution degree of sulfonic group enhanced the permselectivity of sulfonated polysulfone membranes by increasing the hydrophilicity of polymer backbone. Based on the observations of membrane morphology and light transmittance measurements, the degree of sulfonation of polysulfone presented less influence on the membrane formation pathway and the final structure of membrane in wet phase inversion process. It was also found that the sulfonated membranes showed well hydrophilic properties and facilitated water adsorption in the membranes. The sorption and permeation properties also showed that the permselectivity of asymmetric membrane was dominated by the permeate diffusion rather than the permeate sorption in the skin layer. The high separation performance of pervaporation membrane can be achieved by phase inverse method with sulfonated polysulfone.     

Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)/polyaniline composite proton-exchange membrane

Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) was prepared by sulfonation of commercial Victrex^@ PEEK and degree of sulfonation was found to be about 44.5% by ¹H NMR. Sulfonated PEEK/polyaniline composite membranes, in order to prevent methanol crossover, were prepared by chemical polymerization of a thin layer of polyaniline (PANI) in the presence of a high oxidant concentration on a single face modification. FTIR and PANI coating density studies confirmed the loading of PANI in sulfonated PEEK membrane matrix. PANI composite membranes with different polymerization time were prepared and subjected to thermogravimetric analysis as well as electrochemical and methanol permeability study to compare with sulfonated PEEK and Nafion 117 membrane. Ion-exchange capacity, water uptake, proton transport numbers and proton conductivities for different PANI composite sulfonated PEEK (SPEEK) membranes were found to be dependent on the coating density of the PANI in the membrane matrix and were slightly lower than that of Nafion 117 membrane. Methanol permeability of these membranes (especially SPEEK/PANI-1.5) was about four times lower than Nafion 117 membrane. Among the all SPEEK membranes synthesized in this study, SPEEK-1.5 appears to be more suitable for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) application considering optimum physicochemical and electrochemical properties, thermal stability as well as very low methanol permeability. Above all, the cost-effective and simple fabrication technique involved in the synthesis of such composite membranes makes their applicability quite attractive.     

磺化聚醚醚酮与壳聚糖共混制备直接甲醇燃料电池用质子交换膜

给出了不同磺化度下的磺化聚醚醚酮(SPEEK)用作质子交换膜的一系列性能,另外提出了一种新型的酸碱共混质子交换膜,其中,磺化聚醚醚酮和壳聚糖分别被选为酸性、碱性高分子电解质,并对所制备的质子交换膜的相关性能如质子传导性,甲醇渗透性,吸水率以及膜溶胀性、热稳定性等进行了表征,结果表明此种新型复合膜尽管在质子传导性能方面有所下降,阻醇性能改变不大,但是膜溶胀性和吸水率方面有了较大的改善.磺化度为71.4%的SPEEK与壳聚糖以5∶1摩尔比共混制备的质子交换膜,其性质可以与商品化的Nafion 117相媲美,有望在甲醇燃料电池中得到应用.     

Structural investigation of polystyrene grafted and sulfonated poly(tetrafluoroethylene) membranes

Structural investigation of polystyrene grafted and sulfonated poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) membranes prepared by radiation-induced grafting of styrene onto commercial PTFE films and subsequent sulfonation was carried out by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. The effect of the structural changes taking place in the membranes during the preparation procedure (grafting and sulfonation) and the variation of the degree of grafting on melting temperature (T_m), glass transition temperature (T_g), heat of melting (ΔH_m), and degree of crystallinity was studied. The melting temperature (T_m) was found to be independent of the degree of grafting unlike glass transition temperature (T_g), which was found to be a function of the degree of grafting. Moreover, the degree of crystallinity of the membranes was found to decrease with the increase in the degree of grafting. The results of this work suggest that grafting takes place in the entire amorphous region without any significant disruption in the crystalline structure of PTFE film and the decrease in the degree of crystallinity is mainly attributed to the dilution effect.     

磺化间规聚苯乙烯的表征

间规聚苯乙烯(sPS)是一种新型结晶性工程塑料,熔点达270℃,具有结晶速度快、耐热性好、耐化学腐蚀性优良等特点,可广泛用于汽车、电子、机械等行业,极具开发意义,但是由于sPS脆性大,抗冲击性差,故通过化学改性在sPS的苯环上引入极性基团,用于制成共混合金与复合材料,是提高材料韧性,开拓sPS用途的重要途径。     

New polymer electrolyte membranes for low temperature fuel cells

Partially fluorinated proton exchange materials were synthesised by pre-irradiation grafting of styrene into poly(vinylidene fluoride) films with subsequent sulfonation. The grafted and sulfonated membranes, PVDF-g-PSSA membranes, have been studied with respect to water uptake, ion and water clustering, ion conductivity and water diffusion coefficients. Water associates with the membranes in three different ways: bound non-freezable water, freezable bound water and freezable free water. The proton conductivity of the membrane is strongly dependent on the hydration, it decreases more rapidly than the water self diffusion with decreasing water content. Ion clusters with a Bragg distance of 25 Å form the conducting channels in the membranes.