Sulfonated Cobalt Metal–Organic Framework Embedded Mixed Matrix Membrane towards Fuel-Cell Applications

New strategies for enhancement of the fuel-cell performance of a poly(2,5-benzimidazole) (ABPBI) membrane loaded with a functionalized cobalt-based metal–organic framework (MOF) for H2–O2 fuel cells. ABPBI was prepared using the polycondensation method, and various proportions of sulfonated cobalt MOF (sCo-MOF) were incorporated into ABPBI to fabricate a proton-exchange membrane (PEM). Later, the fabricated membranes were soaked in 1 M sulfuric acid to produce sulfonated PEMs. The developed composite membranes had increased proton conductivity, tensile strength, physicochemical properties, and fuel-cell performance compared to the sulfonated ABPBI (sABPBI) membrane. A membrane embedded with 4 wt % sCo-MOF shows higher water uptake and ion-exchange capacity values of 23.25% and 2.89 mequiv g–1, respectively. The membrane electrode assemblies were fabricated to perform unit-cell tests for both sABPBI and 4 wt % sCo-MOF/sABPBI membranes. The 4 wt % sCo-MOF-loaded sABPBI membrane demonstrated good unit-cell performance in the fuel-cell test, with a power density of 415.8 mW cm–2 at 80 °C, superior to the pristine sABPBI membrane's power density of 178.6 mW cm–2.