Abstract
A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is regarded as a center of the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and a solid electrolyte membrane is an indispensable component of the MEA. Reducing the ohmic resistance while improving mechanical stability is a challenge to membrane research and development. In polymeric proton exchange membranes (PEMs), Metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained a great deal of attention as filler materials because of their tenability and designability. Aquivion® is a state-of-the-art membrane used in fuel-cell and electrolysis applications because of its mechanical stability and elevated proton conductivity. Considering the theory of coordination networks, the conductivity of short-side-chain (SSC) Aquivion® has been improved by incorporating the highly proton-conductive Metal-Organic Framework (MOF), namely, Co-tri MOF {[(Co(bpy)(H2O)4](Hbtc).(H2O)1.5}n. The proton conductivity of the 1 wt.% Co-tri MOF/Aquivion® composite membrane is significantly increased by 66% than that of the pristine Aquivion® membrane, 3.5 times that of cast Nafion® membrane. The effect of Co-tri MOF on the Aquivion® membrane structural morphology and thermal properties were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The composite membrane showed an improved in ion conductivity and cell performance compared to the pristine Aquivion® membrane.