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）是一类性能优异的聚合物，可广泛适配各类功能性应用场景。通过调整合成路径与工艺条件以诱导形貌变化，或是在聚合物主链中引入柔性基团，均可便捷地对其性能进行调控。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质，正日益广泛地应用于诸多工业领域。本研究将针对一款已成熟应用于反渗透净水过滤的聚酰胺膜展开探究，将其用作燃料电池设备的质子交换膜（proton exchange membrane），并重点聚焦其高温应用场景。本研究结果将有助于阐明支撑能源领域高性能膜材料设计的关键理化与形貌因素。