LAUSR

Abstract Novel sulfonated poly (ether-ether-ketone)/phosphonic acid-functionalized siloxane composite proton exchange membranes were prepared by sol-gel method using sulfonated poly (ether-ether-ketone) as the matrix and phosphonic acid-functionalized siloxane as the crosslinking agent. Phosphonic acid functionalized siloxane was prepared from tetra sodium of 1-hydroxyethane-1, 1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP·Na4) and 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane (IPTES). The Fourier transform infrared results suggest that HEDP·Na4 was anchored into IPTES and Si-O-Si crosslinked network was formed successfully. The prepared membranes were stable up to 220 °C without any degradation and exhibited excellent dimensional stability and mechanical performance. The proton conductivity of composite membranes increased with rising the phosphonic content, especially for AES-3 and AES-4, the proton conductivity were higher than Nafion117 at 80 °C. Besides, the proton conductivity of AES-3 was up to 0.0378 S cm-1 under 140 °C. The power density of the MEA fabricated with AES-3 could reach to 157 mW cm-2.