Enhanced Proton Selectivity in Ionomer Nanocomposites Containing Hydrophobically Functionalized Silica Nanoparticles
Enhanced Proton Selectivity in Ionomer Nanocomposites Containing Hydrophobically Functionalized Silica Nanoparticles
复制标题
含有疏水功能化二氧化硅纳米粒子的离聚物纳米复合材料中质子选择性增强
DOI:
10.1021/acs.macromol.0c01696
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发表时间:
2021
期刊:
影响因子:
5.5
通讯作者:
Davis, Eric M.
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Domhoff, Allison;Martin, Tyler B.;Silva, Mayura S.;Saberi, Mansour;Creager, Stephen;Davis, Eric M.
Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomers are ubiquitous as proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs), as they provide high proton conductivity and robust chemical stability. However, traditional PFSA ionomers suffer from high vanadium ion crossover, i.e., low ion selectivity, which reduces the efficiency and lifetime of the battery. Herein, a novel method to fabricate PFSA nanocomposites containing fluorocarbon-decorated silica nanoparticles is presented. These composite ionomers exhibit drastically reduced vanadium ion permeability and an almost two orders of magnitude increase in proton selectivity when compared to the current benchmark commercial ionomer. Small-angle neutron scattering data suggest that the nanostructures of these nanocomposites are drastically different from their pristine counterpart, where the periodic spacing of the hydrophobic domains is significantly reduced, while changes to the ionic structure were seen to be minimal. This work suggests that composite PEMs containing a secondary phase that alters the hydrophobic, nonion-conducting phase of the ionomer may prove to be a fruitful fabrication route to produce ionomer membranes with enhanced performance for use in VRFBs.