Physio‐Chemical, Thermal Degradation and Calorimetric Properties of Two Commercially Available Proton‐Exchange Membranes

ABSTRACT Elucidation of the relevant properties of commercially available polymeric electrolyte membranes (PEMs) is crucial for designing better and more efficient variants to be used in electrochemical devices. Therefore, in the present study, the physico‐chemical, thermal, and calorimetric properties of two commercially available PEMs—Nafion and Aquivion— were evaluated. Their structural and morphological features were primarily examined using Fourier‐transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive provision (SEM/EDS). The thermal and calorimetric parameters were also studied by employing a combination of thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetric (PCFC) tests. The thermograms obtained through the TGA runs were further utilized to obtain the Arrhenius parameters using proprietary software and the standard Flynn‐Wall‐Ozawa (FWO) method. Furthermore, the wettability characteristics of the membranes were assessed through contact angle measurements and water sorption tests. The results revealed that both membranes exhibited similar characteristics despite the differences in the lengths of their side chains and the extent of functionalization, the latter obtained through SEM/EDS. Given that perfluorinated membranes are being phased out due to environmental concerns, the findings from this study have already provided insights that led to the development of some novel membranes based on non‐fluorinated polyolefins, with promising attributes.