Structural characterisation of a new family of sulfonic acid functionalised polyamide membranes for Fuel Cell applications at high temperature

Polyamides form a class of polymers with exceptional performance for a wide range of functional applications. Their properties are easily tailored by inducing morphological alterations by changing the synthesis pathway and/or conditions as well as incorporating flexible groups into the polymer backbone. Fully aromatic polyamides that have excellent high-temperature stability combined with tunable physical and chemical properties are increasingly used for a range of industrial applications. Here we will study a polyamide membrane that has already been established for reverse osmosis water filtration as a proton exchange membrane for fuel cell devices, with a specific focus on high temperature applications. The results will allow us to unravel the chemical and morphological factors essential to advance the design of high-performance membranes for energy applications.

聚酰胺（Polyamides）是一类性能卓越的聚合物，可广泛适配各类功能性应用场景。其性能可通过多种方式精准调控：通过改变合成路径或反应条件诱导微观形貌改变，或是在聚合物主链中引入柔性基团。全芳香族聚酰胺（Fully aromatic polyamides）兼具优异的高温稳定性与可调控的理化性能，正日益广泛应用于多类工业场景。本研究将针对一款已成熟应用于反渗透（reverse osmosis）水处理的聚酰胺膜展开探究，该膜同时可作为燃料电池装置的质子交换膜（proton exchange membrane），本次研究将重点聚焦其高温应用场景。本研究结果将助力我们厘清支撑能源领域高性能膜材料设计的核心化学与形貌调控因素，进而推动该类膜材料的设计优化与性能提升。