Anion conductive polymer nanofiber composite membrane: effects of nanofibers on polymer electrolyte characteristics

Polymer composite membranes composed of anion conductive polymer nanofiber mats and the corresponding polymer matrix were prepared and characterized for future alkaline fuel cells. In this paper, electrospinning was attempted to fabricate anion conductive nanofiber mats. The anion conductivity of the composite membrane was higher than the corresponding membrane without nanofibers under all conditions due to outstanding anion conductive characteristics of the nanofibers. In addition, because of the rigid and anisotropic structure of the nanofibers, membrane stabilities such as reductive degradation resistance and mechanical strength were very much improved. The gas permeability and excessive hydration swelling that will degrade fuel cells after long‐term operation were suppressed in the nanofiber composite membrane. These results indicated that excellent properties of the anion conductive nanofibers were demonstrated even in the composite membrane, leading to the potential application of anion conductive nanofibers in future fuel cells. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry