Fabricating rapid proton conduction pathways with sepiolite nanorod-based ionogel/Nafion composites via electrospinning

The major limitation of conventional sulfonated polymer proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) is their strong reliance on water molecules for proton conduction, causing a significant reduction in proton conductivity under low-humidity conditions. In this study, a one-dimensional ionogel (IL@Sep) confined within sepiolite (Sep) nanorods was prepared using ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate) and supercritical CO2. Subsequently, IL@Sep was blended with a Nafion solution, and electrospinning was used to fabricate the composite fiber PEM suitable for low-humidity environments. The results revealed that the electrospun (ES)-Nafion/IL@Sep composite fiber membrane exhibited significantly enhanced mechanical properties, water absorption, and proton conductivity. At an IL@Sep content of 2 wt.%, the Nafion/2IL@Sep membrane exhibited a proton conductivity of 231 mS cm−1 at 80 °C/98% relative humidity (RH) and 113 mS cm−1 at 80 °C/40% RH. Moreover, the single-cell assembled with this composite membrane exhibited good gas tightness and achieved a peak power density of 779 mW cm−2 at 60 °C/80% RH, which was ∼1.45 times that of the Nafion 212 membrane single-cell. This study indicates that electrospinning-assisted ionogel-modified ES-Nafion/IL@Sep composite fiber membranes have potential suitability for use in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells under varying humidity conditions.