Preparation of Sulfonated Polysulfone Nanofibers for Fuel Cell Membranes: from Synthesis to Electrospinning

In this research, the preparation of nanofibers comprised of sulfonated polysulfone is presented. To this, the synthesis of sulfonated monomer was done according to the electrophilic substitution reaction by Oleum reagent. In the following, polymerization reaction via a polycondensation procedure using a chain extender was done. Structural characterization and properties assessment were accomplished by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis, and tensile test. In the next section, the preparation of electrospun nanofibers from the polymer was got on the agenda. Homogeneous bead-free fibers were prepared by changing electrospinning parameters and solution properties. The morphology of electrospun nanofibers was evaluated in scanning electron microscopy images.

Keywords:

Sulfonated Polysulfone , synthesis , Nanofiber , Electrospinning , Fuel Cell.