Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy.
ChemSusChem. 2012 Sep;5(9):1758-66. doi: 10.1002/cssc.201200118. Epub 2012 Jul 16.
Two types of new nanocomposite proton-exchange membranes, consisting of functionalized and pristine nanoparticles of silica and silicone rubber (SR) embedded in a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) matrix, were prepared. The membrane precursor was obtained from a mechanical rolling process, and the SiO₂ nanoparticles were functionalized by soaking the membranes in a solution of 2-(4-chlorosulfonylphenyl)ethyl trichlorosilane (CSPhEtCS). The membranes exhibit a highly compact morphology and a lack of fibrous PTFE. At 125 °C, the membrane containing the functionalized nanoparticles has an elastic modulus (2.2 MPa) that is higher than that of pristine Nafion (1.28 MPa) and a conductivity of 3.6×10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ despite a low proton-exchange capacity (0.11 meq g⁻¹). The good thermal and mechanical stability and conductivity at T>100 °C make these membranes a promising low-cost material for application in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells operating at temperatures higher than 100 °C.
两种新型纳米复合质子交换膜，由功能化和原始纳米二氧化硅和硅橡胶（SR）颗粒嵌入聚四氟乙烯（PTFE）基质中制备而成。膜前体通过机械滚压工艺获得，SiO₂纳米颗粒通过将膜浸泡在 2-（4-氯磺酰基苯基）乙基三氯硅烷（CSPhEtCS）溶液中进行功能化。这些膜具有高度致密的形态，缺乏纤维状 PTFE。在 125°C 下，含有功能化纳米颗粒的膜的弹性模量（2.2 MPa）高于原始 Nafion（1.28 MPa），尽管质子交换容量较低（0.11 meq g⁻¹），但其电导率为 3.6×10⁻³ S cm⁻¹。在 T>100°C 时，这些膜具有良好的热稳定性和机械稳定性以及导电性，有望成为用于在 100°C 以上温度运行的质子交换膜燃料电池的低成本材料。
