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Full-Text Articles in Materials Science and Engineering
Structure And Morphology Of Sulfonated Polysulfone And Perfluorosulfonic Acid Ionomers, Chen Wang
Structure And Morphology Of Sulfonated Polysulfone And Perfluorosulfonic Acid Ionomers, Chen Wang
Doctoral Dissertations
The limitations of conventional perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) based membrane materials have provoked the search for alternative materials which can function as the electrolyte in PEM fuel cells operated at higher temperatures (> 100 °C) and without humidification. A novel class of sulfonated poly(phenylene) sulfone (sPSO2) ionomers have shown much higher proton conductivity than typical PFSA membranes at elevated temperatures. In this dissertation, both computational and experimental methods were used to investigate proton transfer, morphological and structural properties of sPSO2 and PFSA ionomers. We have undertaken ab initio electronic structure calculations to understand the primary hydration and the transfer of protons …
The Effect Of Processing Parameters On Barrier Properties Of Polymers, Russell Louis Hallman Jr.
The Effect Of Processing Parameters On Barrier Properties Of Polymers, Russell Louis Hallman Jr.
Doctoral Dissertations
The intent of this work was to learn if polyethylene could be made with predictable water transfer rates by control of the microstructure. A series of films were formed from three different polyethylenes with a range crystallinities using melt pressing, a controlled cooling rate, and subsequent heat treatments. The samples were tested on a novel device called the polymer characterization device that measures the water transfer flux as a function of temperature. The samples’ morphology was examined using differential gradient column, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared microscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffractions, small-angle X-ray scattering, and small angle light scattering, and …