Ion-Exchange Strategy Enabling Direct Reformation of Unreliable Perfluorinated Cationic Polymer for Robust Proton Exchange Membrane towards Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Xuqiu Xie, Wenjing Jia, Changyuan Liu, Yongzhe Li, Anhou Xu () and Xundao Liu ()
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Xuqiu Xie: Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fluorine Chemistry and Chemical Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong Engineering Research Center for Fluorinated Materials, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
Wenjing Jia: School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
Changyuan Liu: School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
Yongzhe Li: State Key Laboratory of Fluorinated Functional Membrane Materials, Shandong Dongyue Future Hydrogen Energy Materials Company, Zibo 256401, China
Anhou Xu: Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fluorine Chemistry and Chemical Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong Engineering Research Center for Fluorinated Materials, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
Xundao Liu: School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-12

Abstract: Perfluorosulfonated anionic ionomers are known for their robust ion conductivity and chemical and mechanical stability. However, the structure and transport property degradation of perfluorinated cationic polymers (PfCPs) are not well understood. Herein, we propose an ion-exchange strategy to identify the structural degradation, ion transport mechanisms, and architectural reformation of PfCPs. Particularly, we demonstrate that the utility of a –SO 2 –N + strategy employing the Menshutkin reaction cannot yield reliable PfCPs and anion-exchange membranes, but can yield an unreliable zwitterionic intermediate (cations–anions molar ratio is approximately 7.6%). Moreover, the degradation products were efficiently reformed as proton exchange membranes (PEMs), and the as-reformed PEMs achieved an ion-exchange capacity (IEC) value (0.89 mmol g −1 ), meanwhile retaining more than 94.7% of their initial capacity. Furthermore, the fuel cell assembled with reformed PEMs displayed a power density of 0.91 Wcm −2 at 2.32 A cm −2 , which was 90.1% of that of the robust perfluorosulfonic acid PEMs. Our combined findings shed some fresh light on the state of understanding of the structure–property relationship in PfCPs.

Keywords: cationic polymers; structure degradation; architecture reformation; ion exchange; robust physical and ion transport properties; fuel cells (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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