NAMS 2002 Workshop - ICOM 2008

Fuel Cells III – 1 – Keynote
Friday July 18, 2:15 PM-3:00 PM, Moloka’i
Crystalline Order and Membrane Properties in Perfluorosulfonate Ionomers
for PEMFC Applications
R. Moore (Speaker), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA - rbmoore3@vt.edu
In this study, we explore the form and function of the crystalline domains in
perfluorosulfonate ionomer membranes. This fundamental project is aimed at
filling a critical void in our understanding of the form and function of polymeric
crystals produced by the ordered packing of backbone chains in modern fuel cell
membranes. While we have learned a great deal about the organization of the
proton-conducting ionic domains in functional polymers such as the
perfluorosulfonate ionomer (PFSI) Nafion, it is remarkable that we know very little
about the detailed structure and formation of the crystallites in these materials or
the spatial arrangement of these ordered features with respect to the proximity of
the ionic domains. In contrast to the vast majority of morphological studies of
these technologically important polymers, this project will be focused on the
‘other’ important morphological feature in these membranes, namely the critical
significance of the crystalline component.