UiO-66-NH2 functionalized cellulose nanofibers embedded in sulfonated polysulfone as proton exchange membrane

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit high proton conductivity , thermal stability, and offer immense flexibility in terms of tailoring their size. Owing to their unique characteristics, they are desirable candidates for proton conductors . Nevertheless, constructing ordered MOF proton channels in proton exchange membranes (PEMs) remains a formidable challenge. Herein, blend nanofibers of cellulose and UiO-66-NH 2 (Cell–UiO-66-NH 2 ) obtained via the electrospinning process were embedded in a sulfonated polysulfone matrix to obtain high-performance composite PEMs with an orderly arrangement of UiO-66-NH 2 . Comprehensive characterization and membrane performance tests reveal that composite membrane with 5 wt% (nominal) UiO-66-NH 2 have revealed high proton conductivity of 0.196 S cm −1  at 80 °C and 100% relative humidity. Meantime, the composite membrane exhibits a low methanol permeability coefficient (~5.5 × 10 −7  cm 2  s −1 ). Moreover, the composite membrane exhibits a low swelling ratio (17.3%) even at 80 °C. The Cell–UiO-66-NH 2 nanofibers exhibit strong potential for use as a proton-conducting nanofiller in fuel-cell PEMs.