Composite membranes based on a novel benzimidazole grafted PEEK and SPEEK for fuel cells

✍ Scribed by Hongtao Li; Gang Zhang; Wenjia Ma; Chengji Zhao; Yang Zhang; Miaomiao Han; Jing Zhu; Zhongguo Liu; Jing Wu; Hui Na

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 653 KB
• Volume: 35
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0360-3199
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2010.07.091

✦ Synopsis

Benzimidazole groups

Composite membranes a b s t r a c t Poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) and sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK, IEC ¼ 2.07 mequiv.g À1 ) have been synthesized via nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction.

Bromomethylated poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK-Br) is then prepared and reacted with 2-benzimidazolethiol to obtain the benzimidazole grafted poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK-BI). The structures of PEEK-Br and PEEK-BI are characterized by 1 H NMR spectra. Composite membranes based on SPEEK and PEEK-BI are prepared and their properties used for fuel cells are studied in detail. The results show that the composite membranes exhibit greatly improved mechanical properties as well as reduced water uptake and methanol permeability compared with the pristine SPEEK membrane. The increased oxidative stability and selectivity indicate that the composite membranes are promising to be used as proton exchange membranes.