Proton Conductivity Amelioration of Sulfonated Poly Ether Sulfone Octyl Sulfonamide via the Incorporation of Montmorillonite
Year: 2022
Journal: J. Electron. Mater., Volume 51, NOV, page 6369–6378
Authors: Mabrouk, W.; Charradi, K.; Maghraoui-Meherzi, H.; Alhussein, A.; Keshk, Sherif M. A. S.
Keywords: SPESOS membrane; ion conductivity; montmorillonite; composite membrane
An electrolytic membrane for fuel cell application was fabricated by blending sulfonated poly ether sulfone octyl sulfonamide (SPESOS) with montmorillonite (MMT) clay at different proportions (1 wt.%, 3 wt.%, and 6 wt.%). The structural functionality, surface morphology, and thermal stability of the resultant composite membranes were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Interestingly, the thermal properties of the composite membranes were improved compared to pristine SPESOS. Furthermore, proportions as low as 0.1 wt.% in the MMT/SPESOS composite membrane showed superior proton conductivity to the SPESOS membrane. Thus, we propose the MMT/SPESOS composite membrane as a promising material for the electrolytic membrane in fuel cells at temperatures above 100 degrees C.
