Publication Date

3-2025

College

College of Sciences & Mathematics

Department

Chemistry and Physics, Department of

Student Level

Undergraduate

SPARK Category

Research

Faculty Advisor

Hua Mei

SPARK Session

Chemistry and Physics Senior Research II (3:15-4:15)

Presentation Type

Article

Summary

Proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells are sources of energy that are clean, quiet, and highly responsive to changes in power needs, making them promising for use in automobiles and other portable power devices. The electrolyte of a PEM cell–the layer responsible for conductivity–is a polymer membrane, commonly consisting of perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acid (PFSA) polymers. In place of the PFSA polymers, perfluoroalkyl arylsulfonimide (PFSI) polymers are expected to improve the efficiency of PEM fuel cells with better stability and proton conductivity. The trifluovinylether (TFVE) aryl perfluorosulfonamide monomer is a new PFSI monomer proposed to fulfill these benefits once polymerized. The previous six-step synthesis of the monomer has been refined to a more time and cost-effective five-step synthesis by using a slightly altered, commercially available starting material. The new starting material was successfully brominated in the first reaction step to protect the trifluorvinyl ether double bond. Our research focused on performing the subsequent chlorosulfonation reaction. Through reflux, filtration, and drying, the crude chlorosulfonation product was obtained for multiple trials but requires further purification and characterization before procession of the synthesis.

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