Interfacial Water Drives Improved Proton Transport in Siliceous Nanocomposite Nafion Thin Films.
Chemphyschem
; 19(4): 538-546, 2018 02 19.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28834650
ABSTRACT
Nafion proton exchange membranes dehydrate when they are used in the gas phase and in high-temperature applications, such as fuel cells and (photo)electrolysis. Retaining a high level of membrane hydration under such conditions can be achieved by using inorganic fillers, but has never been demonstrated for thin films. Herein, several types of siliceous nanoparticles were incorporated for the first time into Nafion thin films. For composite Nafion materials, increased water uptake does not always induce increased proton conductivity. Here, increased water uptake did result in higher proton conductivity due to a synergistic effect within the composite film. The nanocomposites displayed a higher water uptake than could be expected based on the water uptake of the individual materials. Excess water present at the Nafion-filler interface was found to cause the proton conductivity of nanocomposite Nafion/Ludoxâ
AS-40 thin films to double compared with pristine Nafion at low relative humidity (from 2 to 4â
mS cm-2 ). Knowledge about the properties of such interfaces will allow for the better design of self-humidifying nanocomposite Nafion membranes, films, and catalyst layers.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Chemphyschem
Assunto da revista:
BIOFISICA
/
QUIMICA
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Bélgica