Designing
a high-performing amorphous porous framework of the proton-conducting
membrane with inherent SO3H moieties in the aromatic chain
and impregnating the proton source is beneficial for developing an
excellent electrolyte for the proton exchange membrane fuel cell.
In this work, we synthesize the porous sulfonated poly(ether sulfone)
(PSPES) nanocomposite membranes with excellent proton conductivity
and stability via modified non-solvent-induced phase inversion. The
hydroxylated boron nitride (HBN) was prepared from the bulk BN through
simple liquid exfoliation and hydroxylation, which yielded the few-layered
sheets. The direct inclusion of HBN into the PSPES will be anchoring
or filling on the microporous channels of the membrane, yielding outstanding
stability with HBN retention ability and high conductivity. Thereby,
an excellent synergistic effect between the PSPES and HBN through
the functional groups (SO3H–OH) is shown, producing
the proton transport bridge and continuous proton transfer channels
within the porous structure. Besides, the current and power density
of the 3.5 wt % HBN reinforced PSPES (PSPES-HBN2) membranes were improved
to 795 mA cm–2 and 220 mW cm–2. The interconnected microporous PSPES-HBN2 membrane shows an excellent
proton conductivity of 77.4 ± 3.87 mS cm–1 at
80 °C with 100% humidity and notably reduced membrane degradation
after a 120 h durability test.
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