Sulfonated poly(arylene ether)s exhibit comparable PEMFC performance to Nafion without the high cost associated with the perfluorinated membranes. However, the long-term performance of traditional hydrocarbon membranes is poor when paired with standard Nafion-based electrodes, due to inadequate interfacial compatibility which can lead to delamination during swelling/deswelling. This may be due to the fact that hydrocarbon membranes with sufficient conductivity usually have high water uptake. Incorporation of polar groups and partial fluorination can change the important membrane properties, including proton conductivity and water uptake. Interfacial resistance and long-term fuel cell performance of several hydrocarbon copolymers will be discussed.

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