Sulfonated MWNT and imidazole functionalized MWNT/polybenzimidazole composite membranes for high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Composite membranes used for proton exchange membrane fuel cells comprising of polybenzimidazole (PBI) and carbon nanotubes with certain functional groups were studied, because they could enhance both the mechanical property and fuel cell performance at the same time. In this study, sodium poly(4-styrene sulfonate) functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT-poly(NaSS))/PBI and imidazole functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT-imidazole)/PBI composite membranes were prepared. The functionalization of carbon nanotubes involving non-covalent modification and covalent modification were confirmed by FITR, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, and TGA. Compared to unmodified MWNTs and MWNT-poly(NaSS), MWNT-imidazole provided more significant mechanical reinforcement due to its better compatibility with PBI. For MWNT-poly(NaSS)/PBI and MWNT-imidazole/PBI composite membranes at their saturated doping levels, the proton conductivities were up to 5.1 × 10−2 and 4.3 × 10−2 S/cm at 160 °C under anhydrous condition respectively, which were slightly higher than pristine PBI (2.8 × 10−2 S/cm). Also, MWNT-poly(NaSS)/PBI and MWNT-imidazole/PBI composite membranes showed relatively improved fuel cell performance at 170 °C compared to pristine PBI.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► New functionalized MWNT/PBI composite membranes were prepared for PEMFC. ► Mechanical property and fuel cell performance were enhanced simultaneously. ► The proton conductivity up to 5.1 × 10−2 S/cm was achieved at 160 °C.