Effect of the nature of functional groups grafted on the surface of silica nanoparticles on properties of the hybrid proton-conductive membranes based on N-phosphorylated polybenzimidazole

New hybrid proton-conductive membranes containing in-corporated silica nanoparticles and modified with various functional groups have been designed, prepared and evaluated for conductive properties. The best conductivity (54mScm⁻¹ at 130°C) was reached for membranes doped with silica (15 wt%) bearing grafted imidazolinopropyl groups that favor additional sorption of phosphoric acid.