Organic–inorganic hybrid proton exchange membranes based on silicon-containing polyacrylate nanoparticles with phosphotungstic acid

A series of silicon-containing polyacrylate nanoparticles (SiPANPs) were successfully synthesized by simple emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization technique. The resulting latex particles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The SiPANP membranes and SiPANP/phosphotungstic acid (SiPANP/PWA) hybrid membranes were also prepared and characterized to evaluate their potential as proton exchange membranes in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Compared with the pure SiPANP membrane, the hybrid membranes displayed lower thermal stability. However, the degradation temperatures were still above 190 °C, satisfying the requirement of thermal stability for PEMFC operation. In addition, the hybrid membranes showed lower water uptake but higher proton conductivity than the SiPANP precursor. The proton conductivity of the hybrid membranes was in the range of 10−3 to 10−2 S cm−1 and increased gradually with PWA content and temperature. The excellent hydrolytic stability was also observed in the hybrid membranes because of the existence of crosslinked silica network. The good thermal stability, reasonable water uptake, excellent hydrolytic stability, suitable proton conductivity and cost effectiveness make these hybrids quite attractive as proton exchange membranes for PEMFC applications.