Proton-Conducting Sulfonated Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are essential for fuel cells, yet conventional materials like Nafion suffer from humidity dependence and limited thermal stability. This study introduces sulfonated phenylene-bridged periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) as promising inorganic–organic hybrid PEMs, synthesized via surfactant-templating with varying alkyl chain lengths for different mesopore sizes. Post-synthetic functionalization involves nitration of phenylene moieties, reduction to amines, and ring-opening of propane or butane sultones to graft sulfonic acid groups via flexible spacers, achieving homogeneous distribution along pore walls. Post-functionalization is confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), revealing preserved 2D hexagonal p6mm ordering and phenylene stacking. N2 physisorption shows type IV isotherms with reduced pore volumes and pore sizes. 1H NMR is used to quantify functionalization degrees. Impedance spectroscopy on pressed pellets demonstrates proton conductivities up to 2 × 10−3 S cm−1 at 30 °C and 90% RH, depending on the functionalization degree, confirming sulfonic acid-mediated conduction.