UiO-66-NH₂ functionalized cellulose nanofibers embedded in sulfonated polysulfone as proton exchange membrane

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit high proton conductivity, thermal stability, and offer immense flexibility in terms of tailoring their size. Owing to their unique characteristics, they are desirable candidates for proton conductors. Nevertheless, constructing ordered MOF proton channels in proton exchange membranes (PEMs) remains a formidable challenge. Herein, blend nanofibers of cellulose and UiO-66-NH2 (Cell-UiO-66-NH2) obtained via the electrospinning process were embedded in a sulfonated polysulfone matrix to obtain high-performance composite PEMs with an orderly arrangement of UiO-66-NH2. Comprehensive characterization and membrane performance tests reveal that composite membrane with 5 wt% (nominal) UiO-66-NH2 have revealed high proton conductivity of 0.196 S cm(-1) at 80 degrees C and 100% relative humidity. Meantime, the composite membrane exhibits a low methanol permeability coefficient (similar to 5.5 x 10(-7) cm(2) s(-1)). Moreover, the composite membrane exhibits a low swelling ratio (17.3%) even at 80 degrees C. The Cell-UiO-66-NH2 nanofibers exhibit strong potential for use as a proton-conducting nanofiller in fuelcell PEMs. (c) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.