Proton conduction in exchange membranes across multiple length scales.

Concerns over global climate change associated with fossil-fuel consumption continue to drive the development of electrochemical alternatives for energy technology. Proton exchange fuel cells are a particularly promising technology for stationary power generation, mobile electronics, and hybrid engines in automobiles. For these devices to work efficiently, direct electrical contacts between the anode and cathode must be avoided; hence, the separator material must be electronically insulating but highly proton conductive. As a result, researchers have examined a variety of polymer electrolyte materials for use as membranes in these systems.In the optimization of the membrane, researchers are seeking high proton conductivity, low electronic conduction, and mechanical stability with the inclusion of water in the polymer matrix. A considerable number of potential polymer backbone and side chain combinations have been synthesized to meet these requirements, and computational studies can assist in the challenge...