Densely sulfonated block copolymer composite membranes containing phosphotungstic acid for fuel cellmembranes

The synthesis and properties of densely sulfonated poly(arylene biphenylsulfone ketone) block copolymer and its composite membranes including phosphotungstic acid (PWA) were investigated. The chemical structure of the block copolymers was characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, and GPC. The block copolymer composite membranes were prepared by mixing the block copolymer with a commercial PWA. The composite membranes have shown not only good thermal stability (decomposition temperature in nitrogen >250 °C), but also lower water uptake than the unfilled membranes. Their crystalline phases and morphologies have been confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FSEM), respectively. The composite membranes displayed relevant ion exchange capacity (IEC), as well as good proton conductivity especially at elevated temperature. The proton conductivity of the Block-19/PWA-30 composite membrane (IEC 1.58 meq g−1) reached the maximum of 97 mS cm−1 at 90 °C under 100% relative humidity (RH), which is comparable to Nafion-117. The fabricated composite membrane exhibited a maximum fuel cell power density of 150 mW cm−2, which was much higher that of Block-19 membrane and can be considered as a candidate for potential application in fuelcells.