New Insights into Perfluorinated Sulfonic-Acid Ionomers

In this comprehensive review, recent progress and developments on perfluorinated sulfonic-acid (PFSA) membranes have been summarized on many key topics. Although quite well investigated for decades, PFSA ionomers' complex behavior, along with their key role in many emerging technologies, have presented significant scientific challenges but also helped create a unique cross-disciplinary research field to overcome such challenges. Research and progress on PFSAs, especially when considered with their applications, are at the forefront of bridging electrochemistry and polymer (physics), which have also opened up development of state-of-the-art in situ characterization techniques as well as multiphysics computation models. Topics reviewed stem from correlating the various physical (e.g., mechanical) and transport properties with morphology and structure across time and length scales. In addition, topics of recent interest such as structure/transport correlations and modeling, composite PFSA membranes, degradation phenomena, and PFSA thin films are presented. Throughout, the impact of PFSA chemistry and side-chain is also discussed to present a broader perspective.

Influence of ordered morphology on the anisotropic actuation in uniaxially oriented electroactive polymer systems

Ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are electroactive materials that undergo bending motions with the stimulus of a relatively weak electric field. To understand the fundamental role of the nanoscale morphology of the ionomer membrane matrix in affecting the actuation behavior of IPMC systems, we evaluated the actuation performance of IPMC materials subjected to uniaxial orientation. The perfluorinated ionomer nanostructure altered by uniaxial orientation mimicks the fibrillar structure of biological muscle tissue and yields a new anisotropic actuation response. It is evident that IPMCs cut from films oriented perpendicular to the draw direction yield tip-displacement values that are significantly greater than those of unoriented IPMCs. In contrast, IPMCs cut from films oriented parallel to the draw direction appear to resist bending and yield tip-displacement values that are much less than those of unoriented IPMCs. This anisotropic actuation behavior is attributed, in part, to the contribution of the fibrillar morphology to the bulk bending modulus. As an additional contribution, electrically stimulated water swelling perpendicular to the rodlike aggregate axis facilitates bending in the perpendicular direction.

Responses of hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups in Nafion differentiated by least squares modeling of infrared spectra recorded during thin film hydration

Least squares modeling was applied to gain insights into changes that occur in the structure of Nafion polymer membrane during hydration. Transmission infrared spectra followed changes in the strong polymer bands in the range of 1400-950 cm(-1) during water uptake by initially dry membrane upon exposure to 100% relative humidity atmosphere. Spectra recorded during hydration were fit to a rate equation that modeled the loss of a dry state accompanied by the development of a hydrated state. The evolution of the two states was described by an equation for diffusion in a cylindrical pore in the long time limit. Comparison of the experimental spectra in a data set to spectra calculated from the pure components derived by least squares modeling gave an excellent match for bands of the -CF2 and C-O-C group modes, but agreement was not as close for bands arising from modes of the hydrophilic -SO3(-) group and (modeled separately) water. The differences are discussed in terms of the likelihood that the -SO3(-) groups have stronger interactions with bulk-like water condensed in the membrane and therefore undergo more complex changes than do more hydrophobic polymer regions during hydration. A different model is necessary to describe the evolution of spectral features for water and -SO3(-) end groups during water uptake into Nafion thin films.