Sulfonated polynorbornene (SPNB) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KH550) hybrid cross-linked proton exchange membranes doped with different weight ratio of phosphotungstic acid (PWA) were prepared by a simple sol-gel process. The cross-linked structures led to low methanol permeability and good stability of the nanocomposites. Incorporation of PWA has significantly improved the proton conductivity of the hybrid membrane due to an extra provided conductive proton-conduction pathway to facilitate proton transportation. In particular, the conductivity of SPNB/KH550/PWA25 reached the maximum of 0.02 S.cm−1 at 80°C under the 100% relative humidity condition, and this value is on the same order of magnitude as that of Nafion117. Furthermore, SPNB /KH550/PWA20 owns the lowest proton transport activation energy (8.39 kJ.mol−1).
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