Preparation and study of hybrid proton exchange membranes from sulfonated polybenzimidazole and silicon dioxide

To improve the H3PO4 doping level, SPBI/SiO2 hybrid proton exchange membranes were prepared by in-situ generation of SiO2 in SPBI matrix. The chemical structure of the hybrid membranes was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. The composite behavior was studied by a scanning electronic microscope. The proton conductivity was determined by EIS. The thermal stability of membranes was analyzed by TGA. The obtained results showed that the proton conductivity reached the accepted level along with the increasing of H3PO4 doping level, while the swelling of the membranes was not increased greatly. © All Rights Reserved.