Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Process Safety and Environmental Protection, cilt.201, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Blend membranes are a viable alternative to commercial proton exchange membranes because they combine the superior properties of their components. SPSf stands out with its high proton conductivity, while PSAN stands out with its high mechanical strength, dimensional stability, and oxidative resistance. In this study, SPSf polymer was obtained by functionalization of PSf polymer, and blend membranes were synthesized using SPSf polymer and PSAN polymer in different ratios. The membranes were investigated in terms of water uptake capacity, swelling ratio, contact angle, mechanical strength, Fenton test, ion exchange capacity, degree of sulfonation, and proton conductivity. Furthermore, the proposed membranes were characterized by SEM, FTIR, TGA, DSC, XRD, and 3D optical profilometry techniques. The water uptake capacity of the SPSf membrane reached its maximum value of 22.58 %. The water uptake capacity decreased steadily with increasing PSAN ratio. The maximum swelling ratio was 27.89 % for the SPSf membrane, while the minimum swelling ratio was 4.35 % for the SP50/PS50 membrane. Mechanical strength and chemical stability improved with increasing PSAN ratio. The minimum proton conductivity value was calculated as 13.27 mS.cm−1 in SPSf membrane, and the maximum proton conductivity values were calculated as 40.63 mS.cm−1 and 39.76 mS.cm−1 in SP75/PS25 and SP50/PS50 membranes, respectively. As a result of TGA analysis, it was observed that the PSAN-containing blend membrane structure improved the thermal stability up to certain temperatures. FTIR and XRD analyses showed that the synthesized membrane structures were amorphous and successful in the production of nanocomposite blend membranes with homogeneous structures.