Triblock SEBS/DVB crosslinked and sulfonated membranes: Fuel cell performance and conductivity

A set of styrene‐ethylene‐butylene‐styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS) membranes with 10 or 25 wt% divinyl‐benzene (DVB) as a crosslinking agent were prepared and validated. Physicochemical characterization revealed suitable hydrolytic and thermal stability of photo‐crosslinked membranes containing 25...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied polymer science 2021-07, Vol.138 (28), p.n/a
Main Authors: Teruel‐Juanes, Roberto, Río, Carmen, Gil‐Castell, Oscar, Primaz, Carmem, Ribes‐Greus, Amparo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Benzene
Block copolymers
Charge transport
Conductivity
copolymers
Crosslinking
Electrical resistivity
Fuel cells
Materials science
Membranes
Polyelectrolytes
Polymers
Protons
Styrenes
Thermal stability
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Summary:A set of styrene‐ethylene‐butylene‐styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS) membranes with 10 or 25 wt% divinyl‐benzene (DVB) as a crosslinking agent were prepared and validated. Physicochemical characterization revealed suitable hydrolytic and thermal stability of photo‐crosslinked membranes containing 25 wt% DVB and post‐sulfonated. These compositions were evaluated in H2/O2 single cells, and electrical and proton conductivities were furtherly assessed. The membranes with the milder post‐sulfonation showed greater proton conductivity than those with excessive sulfonation. In terms of electrical conductivity, a universal power law was applied, and the values obtained were low enough for being used as polyelectrolytes. At the analyzed temperatures, the charge transport process follows a long‐range pathway or vehicular model. Finally, fuel cell performance revealed the best behavior for the membrane with 25 wt% DVB, photo‐crosslinked during 30 min and mild sulfonated, with a promising power density of 526 mW·cm−2. Overall, the results obtained highlight the promising fuel cell performance of these cost‐effective triblock copolymer‐based membranes and indicate that higher sulfonation does not necessarily imply better power density. The combination of styrene‐ethylene‐butylene‐styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS) together with a thermally activated crosslinking procedure with divinyl benzene (DVB) and subsequent mild post‐sulfonation allowed for the preparation of promising candidates for being exploited as cost‐effective membranes for proton exchange (H2/O2) fuel cell applications.
ISSN:0021-8995
1097-4628
DOI:10.1002/app.50671