Synthesis, Characterization, and Thermal and Proton Conductivity Evaluation of 2,5-Polybenzimidazole Composite Membranes

In this contribution, composite membranes (CM-D and CM-S) of 2,5-polybenzimidazole (PBI) were synthesized by adding inorganic heteropoly acids (IHA-D and IHA-S). IHA-D and IHA-S were synthesized by condensation reaction of silicotungstic acid with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in the absence and presence of mesoporous silica (SiO2), respectively. The synthesized composites were structurally and morphologically characterized and further investigated the functional relationships between the materials structure and proton conductivity. The proton conductivity as well as thermal stability was found to be higher for composite membranes which suggest that both properties are highly contingent on mesoporous silica. The composite membrane with mesoporous silica shows high thermal properties and proton conductivity. IHA-D shows proton conductivity of almost 1.48×10-1 Scm−1 while IHA-S exhibited 2.06×10-1 Scm−1 in nonhumidity imposing condition (150°C) which is higher than pure PBI. Thus introduction of inorganic heteropoly acid to PBI is functionally preferable as it results in increase of ion conductivity of PBI and can be better candidates for high temperature PEMFC

Development of Polymer Based Nanocomposites as a Marker of Cadmium in Complex Matrices

Poly(propylene carbonate)/β-cyclodextrin (PPC-BCD) nanocomposites were developed as effective extractor for a specific extraction and separation of cadmium(II) by use of inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. The selectivity of nanocomposites with different wt% of BCD (PPC-BCD 0.5, PPC-BCD 1, PPC-BCD 3, PPC-BCD 5, or PPC-BCD 10) was investigated toward Cd(II). Based on selectivity and pH studies, Cd(II) was the most quantitatively adsorbed on PPC-BCD 5 phase at pH 6, indicating that PPC-BCD 5 was the most selective toward Cd(II) among other nanocomposites. On the basis of adsorption isotherm study, the superior adsorption capacity of PPC-BCD 5 phase for Cd(II) was found to be 149.25 mg·g−1, following the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The kinetic of adsorption for Cd(II) has been examined by pseudo-first- and second-order models. The kinetic exploration suggested a pseudo-second-order kinetic model for the adsorption of Cd(II) on the PPC-BCD 5. Additionally, results of thermodynamic investigation demonstrated favorable spontaneous process for the adsorption mechanism of PPC-BCD 5 toward Cd(II)

Phase Inversion-Induced Porous Polybenzimidazole Fuel Cell Membranes: An Efficient Architecture for High-Temperature Water-Free Proton Transport

To cope with the demand for cleaner alternative energy, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have received significant research attention owing to their high-power density, high fuel efficiency, and low polluting by-product. However, the water requirement of these cells has necessitated research on systems that do not require water and/or use other mediums with higher boiling points. In this work, a highly porous meta-polybenzimidazole (m-PBI) membrane was fabricated through the non-solvent induced phase inversion technique and thermal cross-linking for high-temperature PEMFC (HT-PEMFC) applications. Standard non-thermally treated porous membranes are susceptible to phosphoric acid (PA) even at low concentrations and are unsuitable as polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs). With the porous structure of m-PBI membranes, higher PA uptake and minimal swelling, which is controlled via cross-linking, was achieved. In addition, the membranes exhibited partial asymmetrical morphology and are directly applicable to fuel cell systems without any further modifications. Membranes with insufficient cross-linking resulted in an unstable performance in HT-PEMFC environments. By optimizing thermal treatment, a high-performance membrane with limited swelling and improved proton conductivity was achieved. Finally, the m-PBI membrane exhibited enhanced acid retention, proton conductivity, and fuel cell performance

Highly Soluble Fluorinated Polyimides Synthesized with Hydrothermal Process towards Sustainable Green Technology

Polyimides, a widely used engineering plastic, require use of large amounts of toxic and hazardous organic solvents which threaten our daily lives, calling for new and easy synthetic methods for sustainable environmentally friendly development. In this paper, highly soluble fluorinated polyimides based on 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride were synthesized via hydrothermal process without using any toxic organic solvents and the advantages of the newly demonstrated synthetic methods are shown by comparative analysis performed with the two conventional synthetic methods using organic solvent: thermal and chemical imidization. Lower temperature is required (~200 °C) compared to thermal imidization and functional groups for high fusibility formed more easily compared to chemical imidization. According to the comparative analysis, hydrothermally synthesized PIs showed excellent solubility and maintained high thermal stability (>500 °C) and glass transition temperature (>300 °C) compared to conventional PI. The hydrothermally synthesized polyimide is much more convenient to store and manage than other form of polyimide which is much more stable when it is exposed to humidity as it is a powder form. The hydrothermal synthetic method is verified to be a “Green” and facile method for sustainable PI synthesis

Highly Self-Healable Polymeric Coating Materials with Enhanced Mechanical Properties Based on the Charge Transfer Complex

Polymeric coating materials (PCMs) are promising candidates for developing next-generation flexible displays. However, PCMs are frequently subjected to external stimuli, making them highly susceptible to repeated damage. Therefore, in this study, a highly self-healing PCM based on a charge transfer complex (CTC) was developed, and its thermal, self-healing, and mechanical properties were examined. The self-healing material demonstrated improved thermal stability, fast self-healing kinetics (1 min), and a high self-healing efficiency (98.1%) via CTC-induced multiple interactions between the polymeric chains. In addition, it eliminated the trade-off between the mechanical strength and self-healing capability that is experienced by typical self-healing materials. The developed PCM achieved excellent self-healing and superior bulk (in-plane) and surface (out-of-plane) mechanical strengths compared to those of conventional engineering plastics such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polysulfone (PSU), and polyethersulfone (PES). These remarkable properties are attributed to the unique intermolecular structure resulting from strong CTC interactions. A mechanism for the improved self-healing and mechanical properties was also proposed by comparing the CTC-based self-healing PCMs with a non-CTC-based PCM

Production of H-2-Free Carbon Monoxide from Formic Acid Dehydration: The Catalytic Role of Acid Sites in Sulfated Zirconia

The formic acid (CH2O2) decomposition over sulfated zirconia (SZ) catalysts prepared under different synthesis conditions, such as calcination temperature (500-650 degrees C) and sulfate loading (0-20 wt.%), was investigated. Three sulfate species (tridentate, bridging bidentate, and pyrosulfate) on the SZ catalysts were characterized by using temperature-programmed decomposition (TPDE), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The acidic properties of the SZ catalysts were investigated by the temperature-programmed desorption of iso-propanol (IPA-TPD) and pyridine-adsorbed infrared (Py-IR) spectroscopy and correlated with their catalytic properties in formic acid decomposition. The relative contributions of Bronsted and Lewis acid sites to the formic acid dehydration were compared, and optimal synthetic conditions, such as calcination temperature and sulfate loading, were proposed

Flame retardant, antimicrobial, and mechanical properties of multifunctional polyurethane nanofibers containing tannic acid-coated reduced graphene oxide

Graphene nanoparticles coated with tannic acid were synthesized as non-halogen flame retardants; further, these nanoparticles were electrospun with polyurethane to produce multifunctional composite nanofibers. The composite nanofibers showed improved flame retardant, antimicrobial, and mechanical properties with increasing amounts of bio-based, non-halogen flame retardant. For instance, at 5 wt% of flame retardant, the peak heat release rate was reduced from 340.75 to 235.23 W/g along with 500% and 135% improvement in the antimicrobial activity and Young's modulus, respectively, compared to neat polyurethane fibers. These multifunctional composite nanofibers have potential applications in various fields, such as automobile, construction, and biomedical device