Ion-conducting membranes, components having the ion-conducting membranes, and process for forming the same

A component comprising an ion-conducting membrane, the ion-conducting membrane comprising:

• (a) a homogenous blend of PBI with one or more polymers selected from the group consisting of chitosan and functionalized-chitosan, wherein a mass-percentage of the one or more polymers is in a range from 1% to 40%;
• and
• (b) one or more additives selected from the group consisting of graphene-oxide and functionalised graphene-oxide, wherein the mass percentage of the one or more additives is in a range from 0.5% to 80%,
• wherein the additives are dispersed in the homogenous blend with a dispersion quantity greater than 80% and agglomeration quantity less than 30%, and an area-specific ion-conductance of the ion-conducting membrane is greater than 1 S/cm2 at 30° C.

A process for making an ion-conducting membrane comprising:

• dissolving a PBI polymer and one or more polymers selected from the group consisting of chitosan and functionalized-chitosan in one or more solvents selected from the group consisting of DMAc, DMF, DMSO, NMP, THF, phosphoric acid, poly-phosphoric acid, formic acid, KOH, and ethanol, to form a homogenous polymer-solution, wherein a mass percentage of the selected one or more polymers is in a range from 1% to 40%;
• dispersing one or more additives selected from the group consisting of graphene-oxide and functionalised graphene-oxide in the one or more solvents, to form an additive-dispersion, wherein the mass percentage of the one or more additives is in the range from 0.5% to 80%;
• homogenously mixing the polymer-solution and the additive-dispersion to obtain a pre-forming solution;
• forming a sheet, and
• removing the solvent to obtain the ion-conducting membrane,
• wherein the additives are dispersed in the ion-conducting membrane with a dispersion quantity of greater than 80%, an agglomeration quantity less than 30%, and the area-specific ion-conductance of the membrane is greater than 1 S/cm2 at 30° C.

A process for making a component comprising an ion-conducting membrane, the process comprises:

• dissolving a PBI polymer and one or more polymers selected from the group consisting of chitosan and functionalized-chitosan in one or more solvents selected from the group consisting of DMAc, DMF, DMSO, NMP, THF, phosphoric acid, poly-phosphoric acid, formic acid, KOH, and ethanol, to form a homogenous polymer-solution, wherein a mass percentage of the selected one or more polymers is in a range from 1% to 40%;
• dispersing one or more additives selected from the group consisting of graphene-oxide and functionalised graphene-oxide in the one or more solvents, to form an additive-dispersion, wherein the mass percentage of the one or more additives is in the range from 0.5% to 80%;
• homogenously mixing the polymer-solution and the additive-dispersion to obtain a pre-forming solution;
• forming a sheet from the pre-forming solution, and
• removing the solvent from the sheet to obtain the ion-conducting membrane, wherein the additives are dispersed with a dispersion quantity of greater than 80%, an agglomeration quantity less than 30%, and the area-specific ion-conductance of the membrane is greater than 1 S/cm2 at 30° C.