title: Electric-field oriented polymer blend film for proton conduction.
abstract: A novel proton conductor has been realized by employing a ternary polymer blend system in combination with an electric-field orientation technique. A polymer film recast from a solution containing poly(acrylic acid), poly(vinyl butyral), and fluoroalkyl graft polymer under 2 kV.cm(-1) exhibited 10 times higher proton conductivity than that prepared without the external electric field. However, when the film was prepared under a field higher than 4 kV.cm(-1), proton conductivity decreased. The membranous character has been investigated by SEM and AFM observations. As a result, it has been proven that an electric-field treatment of 2 kV.cm(-1) forms the largest hydrophilic domains for proton conduction in the film. The alteration of the phase separation morphology induced by the electric field well explains the proton conductivity change.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, Kamitomioka 1603-1, Nagaoka, Niigata 940-2188, Japan. mumeda@vos.nagaokaut.ac.jp
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: Isamu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Uchida