An innovative methodology was employed to fabricate ion exchange membranes tailored for fuel cell applications. This
approach entailed blending low sulfonated polyether sulfone octyl sulfonamide (LSPSO) with Hectorite (Hect) clay at
varying weight percentages (1 wt%, 3 wt%, and 6 wt%). The resultant composite membranes underwent comprehensive
characterization via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray difraction, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis, aiming to assess their surface morphology and thermal resilience. Remarkably, the thermal stability of
the composite membrane exhibited a substantial enhancement in comparison to the pristine LSPSO membrane. Moreover,
the incorporation of 6 wt% Hectorite into the composite membrane yielded a noteworthy amplifcation in proton conductivity,
achieving a fourfold increase (141.66 mS/cm) as opposed to the LSPSO membrane in isolation (35.04 mS/cm)….Read more