MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, cilt.216, sa.1, ss.106-112, 2015 (SCI-Expanded)
Polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) are synthesized via in situ polymerization of vinylphos- phonic acid (VPA) within a poly(2,5-benzimidazole) (ABPBI) matrix. The characterization of the membranes is carried out by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for the inter- polymer interactions, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for the thermal properties, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the morpho- logical properties. The physicochemical characterizations suggest the complexation between ABPBI and PVPA and the formation of homogeneous polymer blends. Proton conductivities in the anhydrous state (150 °C) measured by using impedance spectroscopy are considerable, at up to 0.001 and 0.002 S cm−1 for (1:1) and (1:2) molar ratios, respectively. These conduc- tivities indicate significant improvements (>1000×) over the physically blended samples. The results shown here demonstrate the great potential of in situ preparation for the realization of new PEM materials in future high-temperature and non- humidified polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications.