A new series of polymer composite membranes was fabricated using a linear sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) polymer with zinc cobalt oxide (ZCO) as an inorganic filler and evaluated for fuel cell applications. SPEEK was obtained by the direct sulfonation of PEEK using concentrated sulfuric acid, and appropriate quantities of ZCO were loaded into it to yield the polymer composites. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance studies revealed the degree of sulfonation of SPEEK to be 55%, while morphological studies confirmed the successful incorporation of inorganic fillers into the polymer matrix. To evaluate the suitability of the prepared composite membranes for fuel cell applications, their physicochemical properties were studied in detail. The pristine SPEEK membrane exhibited a proton conductivity of 0.009 S cm−1 at 30°C, whereas the values for the composite membranes loaded with 2.5 to 10 wt% of ZCO were in the range 0.012–0.020 S cm−1. Moreover, the composite membranes showed excellent thermal stability up to 370°C. Indeed, the membranes obtained by the incorporation of ZCO into the SPEEK polymer show potential for fuel cell applications.

中文翻译：

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用于燃料电池应用的磺化聚（醚醚酮）/锌钴氧化物复合膜的合成和表征

使用线性磺化聚（醚醚酮）（SPEEK）聚合物和氧化锌（ZCO）作为无机填料制造了一系列新的聚合物复合膜，并对其燃料电池应用进行了评估。SPEEK 是通过使用浓硫酸直接磺化 PEEK 获得的，并在其中加载适量的 ZCO 以产生聚合物复合材料。质子核磁共振研究表明 SPEEK 的磺化度为 55%，而形态研究证实无机填料成功掺入聚合物基质中。为了评估制备的复合膜对燃料电池应用的适用性，详细研究了它们的理化性质。原始 SPEEK 膜在 30°C 下表现出 0.009 S cm-1 的质子电导率，而负载 2.5 至 10 wt% ZCO 的复合膜的值在 0.012-0.020 S cm-1 范围内。此外，复合膜在高达 370°C 时表现出优异的热稳定性。事实上，通过将 ZCO 掺入到 SPEEK 聚合物中获得的膜显示出燃料电池应用的潜力。