Sulfonated Polystyrene Fiber Network-Induced Hybrid Proton Exchange Membranes

A novel type of hybrid membrane was fabricated by incorporating sulfonated polystyrene (S-PS) electrospun fibers into Nafion for the application in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. With the introduction of S-PS fiber mats, a large amount of sulfonic acid groups in Nafion aggregated onto the interfaces between S-PS fibers and the ionomer matrix, forming continuous pathways for facile proton transport. The resultant hybrid membranes had higher proton conductivities than that of recast Nafion, and the conductivities were controlled by selectively adjusting the fiber diameters. Consequently, hybrid membranes fabricated by ionomers, such as Nafion, incorporated with ionic-conducting nanofibers established a promising strategy for the rational design of high-performance proton exchange membranes.