Anhydrous solid proton conductors based on perfluorosulfonic ionomer with polymeric solvent for polymer electrolyte fuel cell

Novel anhydrous polymeric proton conductors have been prepared from perfluorosulfonic acid ionomer with polymer solvent as supplying proton pathway through the segmental motion of polymer chains for polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) application. Since the membranes do not contain liquid-state acid or solvent, the membranes may promise more stable performances during the operation of PEFC. The Nafion-based anhydrous proton conductors showed maximum proton conductivity of about 4.0 × 10−3 S cm−1 at 130 °C under anhydrous condition. The mechanical properties of the membranes were enhanced by introducing H+-doped TiO2 nanoparticles without the conductivity degradation. In addition, the electrochemical properties of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) employing the anhydrous membrane as ionomer have been investigated, showing stable open circuit voltages (OCVs) over 0.9 V under non-humidified condition.