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The study aims to develop high-performance proton exchange membranes using eco-friendly materials and methods.

January 21, 2026Small0 citations

Eco‐Friendly Synthesis and Mechanistic Exploration of Multifunctional Cu/Cr Self‐Assemblies for Durable and High‐Performance Fuel Cell Composite Membranes

VGVanshita GoyalCentral Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute SHSk Miraz Hossain SSSuman SarkarCentral Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute

Key Points

The study aims to develop high-performance proton exchange membranes using eco-friendly materials and methods.
Constructed multifunctional macromolecular self-assemblies of aspartic acid with Cu(II) and Cr(III).
Incorporated 2 wt.% of these self-assemblies into sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide) to form composite membranes.
Conducted tests including linear sweep voltammetry and accelerated degradation analysis at specific conditions.
SPCr achieved a peak power density of 512.4 mW cm −2 and current density of 718.3 mA cm −2 at 0.6 V.
SPCr outperformed pristine SPPO by 88.1% and SPCu by 21%.
Only 19% OCV decay observed over 100 hours at 80°C and 30% RH, showing significant durability.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Designing durable and high‐performance proton exchange membranes (PEMs) remains a critical challenge for advancing polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this study, we exploit the distinct coordination chemistries of Cu(II) and Cr(III) to construct multifunctional macromolecular self‐assemblies of aspartic acid (L‐AA) via a greener route, which were further incorporated (2 wt.%) into sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide) (SPPO) to yield composite membranes (SPCu and SPCr). The dual functionality of L‐AA‐Cr(III) (─COOH and ─NH 2 groups) enabled stronger H‐bonding interactions with ─SO 3 H groups, enhanced proton conduction, and water uptake compared to the L‐AA‐Cu(II) (─NH 2 only). Consequently, SPCr achieved a peak power density of 512.4 mW cm −2 and a current density of 718.3 mA cm −2 at 0.6 V, outperforming pristine SPPO by 88.1% and SPCu by 21%. Linear sweep voltammetry confirmed substantially lower H 2 crossover (0.96 mA cm − 2 ), while accelerated degradation tests for 100 h at 80°C and 30% RH revealed only 19% OCV decay (1.7 mV h −1 ) for SPCr. Post‐ADT analysis further demonstrated 85.96% power retention for SPCr, establishing its superior long‐term durability. These findings highlight the efficacy of multifunctional fillers in enhancing proton conduction, acid‐base interactions, fuel cell performance, and long‐term stability of PEMFC membranes.

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