A fuel cell membrane electrode assembly includes a substrate and a porous polymer membrane. The substrate includes a woven layer including a yarn of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) fiber. The yarn is 7 to 25 denier. The substrate also includes a nanofiber layer including PVDF nanofibers deposited on the woven layer. The nanofiber layer is 1 to 10 micrometers (μm) thick. The substrate exhibits a porosity of at least 70 percent and is less than 30 μm thick. The porous polymer membrane is deposited on the nanofiber layer. The substrate is a porous support for a fuel cell membrane. A method of forming a fuel cell membrane electrode assembly includes weaving a woven layer of a yarn including fiber of PVDF. The method also includes depositing a nanofiber layer on the woven layer to form a substrate. The method further includes depositing a porous polymer membrane on the nanofiber layer.

A polymer including a reaction product of a sulfonated polyarylene ether sulfone and at least one compound selected from a sulfonated compound having a thiol group at a terminal thereof and a sulfonated compound having a hydroxy group at a terminal thereof.

A polymer including a reaction product of a sulfonated polyarylene ether sulfone and at least one compound selected from a sulfonated compound having a thiol group at a terminal thereof and a sulfonated compound having a hydroxy group at a terminal thereof.

Multi-acid polymers are produced having the formula R—SO.sub.2—NH—(SO.sub.3.sup.−H.sup.+).sub.n or R—SO.sub.2—NH—(PO.sub.3.sup.−H.sup.2+).sub.n and made from a polymer precursor in sulfonyl fluoride form or sulfonyl chloride form The R is one or more units of the polymer precursor without sulfonyl fluoride or sulfonyl chloride, n is one or more, and the multi-acid polymer has two or more proton conducting groups. A method of making the multi-acid polymers includes reacting an amino acid having multiple sulfonic acids or phosphonic acids with a polymer precursor in sulfonyl fluoride form or sulfonyl chloride form in a mild base condition to produce the multi-acid polymer having two or more proton conducting groups.

The present invention is directed to a battery including a solid ionically conductive polymer electrolyte having a first surface and a second surface; a first electrode disposed on the first surface of the solid ionically conductive polymer electrolyte; a second electrode disposed on the second surface of the solid ionically conductive polymer electrolyte; and at least a first conductive terminal and a second conductive terminal, each terminal being in electrical contact with respectively the first conductive electrode and the second conductive electrode. The invention is also directed to a material including a polymer; a dopant; and at least one compound including an ion source; wherein a liberation of a plurality of ions from the ion source provides a conduction mechanism to form an ionically conductive polymer material. The present invention is further directed to methods for making such batteries and materials.

The present invention provides an anion exchange resin capable of producing an electrolyte membrane for a fuel cell, a binder for forming an electrode catalyst layer and a battery electrode catalyst layer. The anion exchange resin of the present invention has a hydrophobic unit, a hydrophilic unit and divalent fluorine-containing groups. The hydrophobic unit has divalent hydrophobic groups composed of one aromatic ring or a plurality of aromatic rings that are repeated via carbon-carbon bond. The hydrophilic unit has divalent hydrophilic groups composed of one aromatic ring or a plurality of aromatic rings, at least one of which has an anion exchange group, that are repeated via carbon-carbon bond. The divalent fluorine-containing groups have a specific structure and are bonded via carbon-carbon bond to the hydrophobic unit and/or the hydrophilic unit and/or a moiety other than these units.

The present invention relates to a graphene-based or other 2-D material membrane which allows the passage of protons and deuterons and to a method of facilitating proton or deuteron permeation through such a membrane. Monocrystalline membranes made from mono- and few-layers of graphene, hBN, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), and tungsten disulfide (WS2) etc. are disclosed. In effect, the protons or deuterons are charge carriers that pass through the graphene or other 2-D material membrane. This process can be contrasted with the passage of gaseous hydrogen. Hydrogen is an uncharged gaseous species which is diatomic. In other words, the gas is in molecular form when considering the normal barrier properties whereas in the case of the present invention, the species which is being transported through the membrane is a charged ion comprising a single atom. Membranes of the invention find use in a number of applications such as fuel cells.

The present invention relates to a graphene-based or other 2-D material membrane which allows the passage of protons and deuterons and to a method of facilitating proton or deuteron permeation through such a membrane. Monocrystalline membranes made from mono- and few-layers of graphene, hBN, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), and tungsten disulfide (WS2) etc. are disclosed. In effect, the protons or deuterons are charge carriers that pass through the graphene or other 2-D material membrane. This process can be contrasted with the passage of gaseous hydrogen. Hydrogen is an uncharged gaseous species which is diatomic. In other words, the gas is in molecular form when considering the normal barrier properties whereas in the case of the present invention, the species which is being transported through the membrane is a charged ion comprising a single atom. Membranes of the invention find use in a number of applications such as fuel cells.

The present invention provides a gel comprising a physical network formed of polymer chain crystallites interconnected by amorphous chain segments. Functionalization of the chain segments between the crystallites forms a blocky distribution of functionality along the chain whereby the functionalities are concentrated in groups consisting of one or more functionalities, separated by non-functionalized runs of crystallizable segments of the polymer. Removal of the solvent from the gels, without reducing the gel volume, forms an aerogel.

The present invention provides a gel comprising a physical network formed of polymer chain crystallites interconnected by amorphous chain segments. Functionalization of the chain segments between the crystallites forms a blocky distribution of functionality along the chain whereby the functionalities are concentrated in groups consisting of one or more functionalities, separated by non-functionalized runs of crystallizable segments of the polymer. Removal of the solvent from the gels, without reducing the gel volume, forms an aerogel.