Proton conducting poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/ poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) (PAMPS)/ zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) ternary composite membrane

Abstract The design, synthesis and characterization of novel proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are of significant scientific and technological importance for the realization of fuel cells, actuators, and sensors. Here, we demonstrate a novel ternary composite membrane consisting of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) (PAMPS), zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), which is prepared by physical blending and casting methods. To enhance the water management of the membranes, in situ chemical cross-linking is carried out by glutaraldehyde (GA). During the characterization of the new membranes, FT-IR is used for intermolecular and inter-polymer interactions between different components of the membrane, SEM is used to identify morphology, XRD is used to prove the presence of ZIF-8 nanoparticles, and finally TGA is used for thermal stability. The proton conductivity of the membranes is found to increase with temperature and also with the increasing content of PAMPS. The highest proton conductivity under fully hydrated state at 80 °C is measured as 0.134 S cm−1 for PVA: PAMPS: ZIF-8 (55:40:5) composition. In this study, it is clearly shown that ZIF-8 nanoparticles contribute to the proton conductivity by forming hydrogen bonds with the polymer network in the membrane. The water uptake (WU) and ion exchange capacity (IEC) values are 3.28 (g/g) and 1.52 meq g−1, respectively for the same membrane. To the best our knowledge, this study shows one of the first example of a MOF-containing membrane with truly high proton conductivities, and both values of proton conductivity and electrochemical properties are comparable to those of well-studied membrane, Nafion.