Enhancement of Anhydrous Proton Conductivity of Poly(vinylphosphonic acid)-Poly(2,5-benzimidazole) Membranes via In Situ Polymerization

Abstract

Polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) are synthesized via in situ polymerization of vinylphosphonic acid (VPA) within a poly(2,5-benzimidazole) (ABPBI) matrix. The characterization of the membranes is carried out by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for the interpolymer interactions, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for the thermal properties, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the morphological properties. The physicochemical characterizations suggest the complexation between ABPBI and PVPA and the formation of homogeneous polymer blends. Proton conductivities in the anhydrous state (150 degrees C) measured by using impedance spectroscopy are considerable, at up to 0.001 and 0.002 S cm(-1) for (1: 1) and (1: 2) molar ratios, respectively. These conductivities indicate signifi cant improvements (> 1000x) over the physically blended samples. The results shown here demonstrate the great potential of in situ preparation for the realization of new PEM materials in future high-temperature and non-humidified polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications.