Preparation of nanofiber composite proton-exchange membranes from dual fiber electrospun mats

Nanofiber composite proton-exchange membranes composed of Nafion and polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) were fabricated by simultaneously electrospinning Nafion and PPSU into a dual-fiber mat and then processing the mat into a dense and defect-free membrane. Three post-electrospinning processing steps, i.e.,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of membrane science 2013-09, Vol.442, p.187-195
Main Authors: Ballengee, Jason B., Pintauro, Peter N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Annealing
Applied sciences
artificial membranes
Chemistry
Colloidal state and disperse state
Composite
Direct energy conversion and energy accumulation
Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering
Electrical power engineering
Electrochemical conversion: primary and secondary batteries, fuel cells
Electrospin
Electrospinning
Energy
Energy. Thermal use of fuels
Equipments for energy generation and conversion: thermal, electrical, mechanical energy, etc
Exact sciences and technology
Exchange resins and membranes
Fibers
Forms of application and semi-finished materials
Fuel Cell
Fuel cells
General and physical chemistry
Mats
Membranes
Nanofiber
nanofibers
Nanostructure
Polymer industry, paints, wood
Proton exchange membrane
Reduction
Swelling
Technology of polymers
washing
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Summary:Nanofiber composite proton-exchange membranes composed of Nafion and polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) were fabricated by simultaneously electrospinning Nafion and PPSU into a dual-fiber mat and then processing the mat into a dense and defect-free membrane. Three post-electrospinning processing steps, i.e., interfiber void-filling, Nafion annealing, and acid/water washing were examined to determine their effect on membrane properties. All the dense composite membranes had excellent water swelling and mechanical performance combined with reasonable proton conductivity. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that composite electrospun membranes can be prepared in as little as 16min, a >15-fold reduction in processing time relative to previously described electrospun membrane fabrication techniques. •We fabricate functional proton exchange membranes from electrospun dual-fiber mats with excellent material properties.•We investigate the effect of annealing, void-filling, and acid/water soakings on membrane properties.•We demonstrate a dramatic reduction in membrane processing time relative to previously published results.
ISSN:0376-7388
1873-3123
DOI:10.1016/j.memsci.2013.04.023