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Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Hydrophobic Salt-modified Nafion for Enzyme Immobilization and Stabilization
Published on: July 11, 2012
Characterisation of hydration water in Nafion membrane
Stewart F Parker1, Shrey Shah1
1ISIS Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Chilton, Didcot Oxon OX11 0QX UK stewart.parker@stfc.ac.uk.
Abstract:
Nafion, a polytetrafluoroethylene polymer with perfluorinated-vinyl-polyether side chains ending in sulfonic acid groups, is widely used as the proton-exchange membrane in polymer electrolyte fuel cells, particularly low temperature hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells. The state of hydration of the sulfonic acid groups is crucial to its operation. By using a combination of inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and infrared spectroscopies, and by comparison to a series of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid hydrates of well-defined stoichiometry, we characterise how the hydration changes as a function of water content.
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