The potential of sulfonated aromatic poly(ether−ketone)s as proton exchange membranes (PEMs) has received considerable attention over the past few decades, as this type of material provides a possible alternative to perfluorinated sulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications.
Sulfonated polyaromatic systems have been shown to provide higher mechanical stability under
fuel-cell operating conditions, good proton conductivities, and,
perhaps crucially, lower production costs than PFSA-based
materials.