We are pleased to announce that the open access version of the article PBI nanofiber mat-reinforced anion exchange membranes with covalently linked interfaces for use in water electrolysers is now available online.

In this work, we approach the issue of AEM reinforcing by pore filling polybenzimidazole nanofiber mats with the bromomethylated precursor of mTPN, an ultra-stable AEM material. During drying, a covalent interaction between support (PBI amine groups) and matrix (-CH2Br) is established. After quaternization, the optimized PBI/mTPN-50.120 composite membrane still shows a high conductivity of 62 mS cm−1, but 37% reduced length swelling in comparison to the non-reinforced membrane. Tensile strength and Young’s modulus increase 17% and 56% to 49 MPa and 680 MPa, respectively. In an electrolyser, a stable voltage of 1.98V at 0.25 A cm−2 was achieved, and no change in membrane resistance was observed over the test time of 200 h (50 °C, 1 M KOH, catalysts based on Ni/Fe and Mo). 

For quotation:  Najibah, M., Tsoy, E., Khalid, H., Chen, Y., Li, Q., Bae, C., … & Henkensmeier, D. (2021). PBI nanofiber mat-reinforced anion exchange membranes with covalently linked interfaces for use in water electrolysers. Journal of Membrane Science, 119832. 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119832Get