Phosphonated Hexaphenylbenzene: A Crystalline Proton Conductor

Well stacked: Organic crystals of small molecules constitute an alternative to common polymeric electrolytes (Nafion 117) and inorganic crystals that are employed as proton exchange membranes in fuel cell systems. A phosphonic acid containing hexaphenylbenzene forms a columnar supramolecular array and exhibits a high and constant intrinsic conductivity of 3.2×10−3 S cm−1 from 120 to 180 °C under 1 bar H2O atmosphere (see picture). Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.