24. Proton Conductions

The importance of proton conductivity is enormous for biological systems and in devices such as electrochemical sensors, electrochemical reactors, electrochromic devices, and fuel cells. In the book chapter, the phenomenon of proton conductivity in materials was discussed with a special emphasis on five different types of conductive materials, namely, perfluorinated ionomers, partially fluorinated, aromatic polymers, acid-base complexes, non-fluorinated ionomers, and hydrocarbon. In a fuel cell, the proton exchange membranes (PEMs) have a profound influence on its performance. Many researchers have investigated the functionalization methods to solve the methanol crossover problem and to obtain low electronic conductivity, low electroosmotic drag coefficient, good mechanical properties, good chemical stability, good thermal stability, and high proton conductivity. The way forward of developing high-performance proton-conductive polymeric membrane via electrospinning for as fuel cells was also addressed.