Nanostructured ionic segmented copolymers as promising membrane for alkaline fuel cell and electrolyzer

We propose to investigate the nanostructure of a new class of polymer electrolyte membranes for alkaline fuel cells and electrolyzers. We have synthesized
innovating segmented copolymers to overcome the issues of poor performance and durability of ionomer and membranes in the alkaline electrochemical system for
hydrogen production and conversion. Membranes show promising functional properties: Alkaline stability, good mechanical properties with a high anionic
conductivity. We suppose this is due to the existence of a well-marked nanophase separation between ionic domains and hydrophobic segments. We want to
investigate by WAXS and SAXS the microstructure as a function of the relevant chemical parameters and relative humidities, in order to correlate the functional
properties to the morphology. This study is crucial to optimize the design of high-performance polymers and will provide invaluable information on the key role of
membrane nanostructuration on their final performances.