New SPEEK doped membranes for ion exchange polymer electrolytes

Abstract

A decarbonized society demands cleaner and sustainable energy sources, based on some well-established or emerging technologies with the potential of significant contribution to energy storage and conversion, such as batteries, fuel cells and CO2 and water electrolysers. The performance of these electrochemical devices relies on key components such as their separators/ion-exchange membranes.1,2 Nafion® is the most common commercial membrane but has some limitations including its operating temperature due to the dependence of conductivity on its water content. Our previous studies showed that the incorporation of bisphosphonic acid (BPs) dopants into Nafion membranes improve their properties.1-3 Following these, in this study we prepared new membranes based on sulfonated poly(etheretherketone) (SPEEK) polymer, a reliable and effective alternative to Nafion, through the incorporation of the BPs dopants, to obtain low cost membranes with improved properties.