A Fiberglass-Cloth-Reinforced Perfluorosulfonic Acid Membrane
Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes have found broad-ranging applications, owing to their high ionic conductivity and excellent chemical stability. However, membranes with higher mechanical strength, lower area-specific resistance, reduced swelling, less gas crossover and more affordable costs a...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Membranes |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/15/6/166 |
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| Summary: | Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes have found broad-ranging applications, owing to their high ionic conductivity and excellent chemical stability. However, membranes with higher mechanical strength, lower area-specific resistance, reduced swelling, less gas crossover and more affordable costs are desirable. Herein, we report on the fabrication of a fiberglass-cloth-reinforced PFSA membrane using a simple solution cast method. The breaking strength of the reinforced membrane has the potential to reach 81 MPa, which is about 6 times and 2.5 times that of its non-reinforced counterpart and the commercial Nafion 117 (N117) membrane, respectively. The area swelling ratio of the reinforced membrane is lowered to merely 3%, which is only about 1/12 that of N117, in water at 100 °C. Despite ionic conduction being hindered by the fiberglass cloth, the reinforced PFSA membrane shows an area-specific resistance of only 0.069 Ω·cm<sup>2</sup>, which is 58% lower than that of N117, under 80 °C and 100% humidity. This research provides a promising technological pathway for the development of high-performance ionic conductive membranes. |
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| ISSN: | 2077-0375 |