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Electrophoretic Crystallization of Ultrathin High-performance Metal-organic Framework Membranes

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Published on: August 16, 2018

Anisotropic membrane with high proton conductivity sustaining upon dehydration.

Jian Li¹, Jay Prakash Singh¹, Vadim Neklyudov¹

¹Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel.

Science Advances

|October 23, 2024

Summary

This study introduces a new bamboo-inspired composite membrane for fuel cells and electrolyzers. It significantly enhances proton conductivity, especially at low humidity, by aligning conductive pathways.

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Published on: February 23, 2017

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Electrochemistry
Nanotechnology

Background:

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) like Nafion suffer from poor proton conductivity and a significant drop at low humidity, hindering fuel cell and electrolyzer performance.
Achieving sustained through-plane (TP) alignment of nanochannels in PEMs has been a persistent challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop an anisotropic composite PEM that mimics the water-conductive structure of bamboo to overcome limitations of current PEMs.
To improve proton conductivity and water management in membranes for energy applications.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of a composite membrane using co-electrospun Nafion and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanofibers.
In-plane thermal compression to achieve micro- and nanoscale alignment of conductive pathways.
Molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate the mechanism of improved performance.

Main Results:

The composite PEM exhibited TP-enhanced proton conductivity, twice that of pure Nafion at high humidity and 13 times larger at low humidity.
Water diffusivity was found to be 10 times larger compared to pure Nafion.
Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that stronger nanochannel alignment upon dehydration compensates for reduced water content.

Conclusions:

The developed anisotropic composite PEM effectively addresses the major drawbacks of conventional ionomers.
The bamboo-inspired design offers a promising strategy for advancing next-generation membranes for fuel cells and electrolyzers.
This approach paves the way for improved energy conversion and storage technologies.