Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(arylene ether) Sulfone Copolymers for Fuel Cells Applications

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) have been an alternative to fossil fuel-based energy production, due to its higher efficiency and environmentally benign nature. Nafion® has been the standard proton exchange membrane (PEM) of choice for decades. Despite Nafion’s high proton conductivity, issues related to water management, cost, and processability, limit its performance and further commercial expansion. This investigation pursues PEM’s capable of enhancing the proton conductivity, while having the ability to operate at high temperatures. The objective of this study is to evaluate an alternative copolymer for PEMFC based on poly(arylene ether sulfones). Synthesis, materials characterization, and proton conductivity measurements for these multiblock copolymer membranes were studied. The copolymers were synthetized by a coupling reaction between decafluorobiphenyl (DFBP) end capped non sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (BPS0) and sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (BPS100). The reactive behavior of DFBP facilitates the low temperature coupling reaction (below 105 °C). Additional multiblocks are being synthesized to explore the ionic interconnection and the morphological variations of these PEMs.