Aliphatic/Aromatic Polyimide Ionomers as a Proton Conductive Membrane for Fuel Cell Applications

To produce a proton conductive and durable polymer electrolyte membrane for fuel cell applications, a series of sulfonated polyimide ionomers containing aliphatic groups both in the main and in the side chains have been synthesized. The title polyimide ionomers 1 with the ion exchange capacity of 1....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Chemical Society 2006-02, Vol.128 (5), p.1762-1769
Main Authors: Asano, Naoki, Aoki, Makoto, Suzuki, Shinsuke, Miyatake, Kenji, Uchida, Hiroyuki, Watanabe, Masahiro
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:To produce a proton conductive and durable polymer electrolyte membrane for fuel cell applications, a series of sulfonated polyimide ionomers containing aliphatic groups both in the main and in the side chains have been synthesized. The title polyimide ionomers 1 with the ion exchange capacity of 1.78−2.33 mequiv/g were obtained by a typical polycondensation reaction as transparent, ductile, and flexible membranes. The proton conductivity of 1 was slightly lower than that of the perfluorinated ionomer (Nafion) below 100 °C, but comparable at higher temperature and 100% RH. The highest conductivity of 0.18 S cm-1 was obtained for 1 at 140 °C. Ionomer 1 with high IEC and branched chemical structure exhibited improved proton conducting behavior without sacrificing membrane stability. Microscopic analyses revealed that smaller (
ISSN:0002-7863
1520-5126
DOI:10.1021/ja0571491