Synthesis and Characterization of Proton Conducting Silica Nano-Particles for use in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

One of the fastest growing fields in scientific research is alternative energy. This has led to an investigation into the various aspects of fuel cells and their components due to their highly efficient energy conversion and low CO2 emissions. The efficiency of fuel cells is highly dependent on the proton conductivity of the polymer electrolyte membrane that separates the cathode and anode. Two different membranes were prepared using sintered silica nanoparticles modified with poly(ethoxyethylmethacrylate) and poly(sulfopropylmethacrylate) brushes covalently attached to the nanoparticle surface. The resulting robust membranes possessed temperature and humidity-dependent proton conductivities of 8.98 x 10-4 S/cm and 7.29 x 10-5 S/cm at 20oC and 100% relative humidity. These membranes were chemically stable and mechanically robust however they are not competitive with current industry standards for proton conducting membranes.