Counter-ions diffusion properties of silica embedded poly(perfluorosulfonic) acid membrane

► In situ sol-gel method using TEOS precursor produced uniformly silica in the Nafion-117 matrix. ► Amount of silica can be controlled by equilibration time of membrane in sol. ► The incorporation of silica content increased significantly water content in the membrane. ► DSC thermograms showed that water interactions in ionic cluster did not change after incorporation of silica. ► The self-diffusion mobility of slow moving ions was substantially increased after incorporation of SiO2 in the membrane.