Preparation of new proton exchange membranes using sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) modified by octylamine (SPESOS)

Walid Mabrouk (1, 2) , Lionel Ogier (1) , F. Matoussi (3) , Cyrille Sollogoub (4, 2) , Serge Vidal (1) , M. Dachraoui (3) , J.F. Fauvarque (4, 2)

1 Eras Labo
2 CNAM - Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers [CNAM]
3 FST - Faculté des Sciences Mathématiques, Physiques et Naturelles de Tunis
4 PIMM - Laboratoire Procédés et Ingénierie en Mécanique et Matériaux

Sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SPES) has received considerable attention in membrane preparation for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). But such membranes are brittle and difficult to handle in operation. We investigated new membranes using SPES grafted with various degrees of octylamine. Five new materials made from sulfonated polyethersulfone sulfonamide (SPESOS) were synthetized with different grades of grafting. They were made from SPES, with initially an ionic exchange capacity (IEC) of 2.4 meq g−1 (1.3 H+ per monomer unit). Pristine SPES with that IEC is water swelling and becomes soluble at 80 °C, its proton conductivity is in the range of 0.1 S cm−1 at room temperature in aqueous H2SO4 1 M, similar to that of Nafion®. After grafting with various amounts of octylamine, the material is water insoluble; membranes are less brittle and show sufficient ionic conductivity. Proton transport numbers were measured close to 1.

Mots clés: Glass transitions; Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR); Polymers; Electrochemical properties

Domaines: Polymères; Matériaux

Walid Mabrouk, Lionel Ogier, F. Matoussi, Cyrille Sollogoub, Serge Vidal, et al.. Preparation of new proton exchange membranes using sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) modified by octylamine (SPESOS). Materials Chemistry and Physics, 2011, 128 (3), pp.456-463. ⟨10.1016/j.matchemphys.2011.03.031⟩. ⟨hal-02455972⟩