Sulfonated peek/mesoporous benzene-silica composite membranes operable at low humidity

摘要

Fuel cell (FC) system is considered to have great potential to replace the secondary cells in diverse areas. The performance of proton exchange membranes in the fuel cell (PEMFC) system plays a significant role both as an electrolyte and a separator. It is well-known that the commercial Nafion~R membranes have excellent properties such as high conductivity and high longevity (> 6,000 h) based on its mechanical and chemical stability under a hydrogen-containing fuel environment. However, Nafion~R membranes also have several drawbacks such as the reduced conductivity at high-temperature operation, high cost, and the high methanol fuel crossover in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) system, which is known to reduce the energy conversion efficiency and poison catalysts.