Influence of silica content in sulfonated polysulfone/ phosphotungstic acid hybrid membranes on properties for fuel cell application

摘要

The sulfonated polysulfone (SPSU)/phosphotungstic acid (PWA)/silica (SiO2) hybrid membranes were researched for proton exchange membranes. The influence of silica content on the properties of composite membranes was studied in detail. The study displays that inorganic silica particles have a great influence on membrane properties, such as membrane durability, PWA extraction, proton and methanol transport behavior, thermal stability and water uptake. Interestingly, the hybrid membrane with 2 wt.% silica content showed the best results: low PWA extraction, long membrane life time under oxidative condition, high proton conductivity, and low methanol permeability. However, excessive silica content caused a large aggregation of SiO2 particles, leading to the deterioration of membrane properties.