Adenosine triphosphate@graphene oxide proton channels for proton exchange membranes constructed via electrostatic layer-by-layer deposition

Proton transport plays an important role in electrochemical reactions and biological processes. In this study, bioinspired proton conducting channels are designed for high-efficiency proton exchange membranes (PEMs) by immobilizing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets to form ordered ATP@GO laminates in Nafion through electrostatic layer-by-layer deposition of their blended solution. The composite membrane (Nafion/ATP@GO) demonstrates low methanol permeability of 2.04 × 10 −7  cm 2  s −1 , and high proton conductivity (reaches 0.345 S cm −1  at 80 °C/100% relative humidity (RH) and 0.221 S cm −1  at 140 °C/50% RH) because of the orderly lamellar structure and ATP molecular structure, thereby enhancing the performance of direct methanol fuel cell with power density of 406.35 mW cm −2  at 80 °C and 100% RH. The proposed ATP channel strategy serves as reference in developing next-generation high-performance PEMs for fuel cells.