Sulfonated poly(etheretherketone) based nanocomposite membranes containing POSS-SA for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC)

Nanocomposite membranes were prepared using sulfonated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS-SA) and incorporated into sulfonated polyetheretherketone (sPEEK) for their use in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The POSS-SA concentration was varied to investigate its effect on the nanostructure morphology, mechanical properties, proton conductivities, and cell performance of nanocomposite membranes. Acidic POSS-SA served as a proton donor to sPEEK and increased the sPEEK nanochannel dimensions by 23%, leading to enhanced proton conductivities and cell performance. The highest conductivity and current density at 0.6 V were 0.097 S/cm and 0.97 A/cm2, respectively, for 1.5 wt% of POSS-SA.154