ABSTRACT
The growing concern over the shortage of fossil fuel sources and environmental pollution in the past decades has attracted several of researchers to devote in searching of new power generators and energy storage systems. Compared to the conventional liquid electrolytes, polymer electrolytes exhibit many advantages, such as less leakageof harmful liquids and gases, simpler fabrication technique, and easier production of miniaturized structures for both in the high-energy-density batteries and fuel cell power generators. Polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) had shown potential components of the energy storage (i.e., Li batteries) and energy conversion devices (i.e., polyelectrolyte membrane fuel cells [PEMFCs]). In these devices, the PEM acts as aseparator and acharged ion carrier (Li+ ions in Li batteries, H+ ion in PEMFCs). The mobility of ions in the PEMs determines the conductivity σof the PEMs and the performance of the energy storage and energy conversion devices.
