Study of high-temperature proton exchange membrane through one-step encapsulation of ionic liquid in sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)

The proton exchange membrane (PEM) is the core component of a high-performance proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Since the traditional PEM has the disadvantages of poor cell performance and high cost, a new kind of PEM with good proton conductivity, low cost and simple preparation should be explored. In this paper, several different binary hybrid membranes were successfully prepared through one-step encapsulation of different ionic liquids (ILs) in sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK). The prepared membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), proton conductivity measurements and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). SEM images showed that ILs were fully doped into SPEEK. FT-IR and XPS proved that SPEEK and IL formed a new chemical bond combined with intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The TG results showed that the binary hybrid membranes could maintain stability even at 300°C. The water uptake and swelling ratio showed that the water absorption capacity of the binary composite membrane played a vital role in improving proton conductivity. The proton conductivity study showed that ILs doping also helped to improve the proton conductivity of the SPEEK membrane. When the doping amount of IL was maintained at 30 wt.%, it has the highest proton conductivity, 25 mS cm^?1 at 120°C. It was proved that anhydrous hybrid membrane tetraphenyl imidazole sulfate/SPEEK (IM2]H₂PO₄]/SPEEK) could be used in PEMFC at medium temperature.