Polybenzimidazole and Phosphonic Acid Groups-Functionalized Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Composite Electrolyte for High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane

Here, we report composite membrane consisting of poly[2,2′-(m-phenylene)-5,5′-(bibenzimidazole)] (PBI) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane functionalized with phosphonic acid groups (PO(OH)2-POSS) for high temperature proton exchange membrane. ~7 phosphonic acid groups are incorporated into the phenyl rings of POSS via bromination in a high yield (~93%), followed by substitution of the bromine elements by phosphonate ester groupsviaa Pd(0) catalyzed P–C coupling reaction. Phosphonic acid groups are formed by the hydrolysis of the phosphonate ester groups in hydrobromic acid solution. At a 50 wt% of PA content in the membranes, PBI/PO(OH)2-POSS composite membrane shows larger proton conductivity of 3.2 × 10−3 S cm−1than 2.8 × 10−3 S cm−1of PBI membrane at 150°C and anhydrous conditions, owing to the multiple phosphonic acid groups of PO(OH)2-POSS that can function as proton transport medium at high temperature and low humidity conditions.