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Mimicking nature: Biomimetic ionic channels

Journal Contribution - Journal Article

© 2016 Elsevier B.V.. Membranes with a high but remarkably humidity-independent proton conductivity were prepared. Side-chain liquid crystalline polyethers (SCLCPs), based on poly(epichlorohydrin) (PECH) and poly(epichlorohydrin-co-ethylene oxide) (P(ECH-co-EO)), dendronized with potassium 3,4,5-tris[4-(n-dodecan-1-yloxy)benzyloxy]benzoate were specially designed for this purpose. When cast as membranes, these tailored polymers self-assembled into columns, driven by exo-recognition. They thus mimic the highly specific supramolecular organization observed in nature and present the first biomimetic material for proton transport out of which stable, oriented and self-sustained membranes could be prepared. As revealed by combined X-ray diffraction, Atomic Force Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy, polymeric column formation was obtained in the cast membranes following a thermally induced homeotropical orientation. Two unique and highly desired properties were found in the resulting membranes. While conventional proton conducting membranes exploit an "acidic group-based" transport mechanism, the current columns pillaring across the membranes formed ionic paths, giving rise to a remarkable size-dependent antiport transport mechanism. It resulted in conductivity values in the range of 10-2-10-3 S/cm, comparable to current state-of-the-art Nafion membranes, but, most importantly, with a complete independency from relative humidity. Reported membranes thus open excellent opportunities for further fine-tuning of their properties, wider exploitation of the exceptional transport mechanism, and final applications in fuel cells and related fields.
Journal: Journal of Membrane Science
ISSN: 0376-7388
Volume: 509
Pages: 10 - 18
Publication year:2016
BOF-keylabel:yes
IOF-keylabel:yes
BOF-publication weight:10
CSS-citation score:1
Authors:International
Authors from:Higher Education
Accessibility:Closed