Ionic conduction in a grafted layer of organosilicate materials based on the mesostructured silicates MCM-41 and SBA-15

Mesostructured silicate materials with different pore sizes and grafted sulfonic groups have been synthesized and characterized by thermal analysis, IR spectroscopy, and impedance spectroscopy. The results indicate that the-SO3H groups in these materials dissociate to give proton hydrates. The low-temperature proton conductivity of these materials is 3 × 10−6 to 4.5 × 10−4 Sm/cm and drops notably upon dehydration.