3D Anhydrous proton-transporting nanochannels formed by self-assembly of liquid crystals composed of a sulfobetaine and a sulfonic acid.
Herein we describe anhydrous proton transportation through 3D interconnected pathways formed by self-assembled molecular complexes. A thermotropic bicontinuous cubic (Cub(bi)) phase has been successfully obtained by mixing a wedge-shaped sulfobetaine with benzenesulfonic acid in different ratios. These ionic complexes exhibit the Cub(bi) phase in a wide range of temperatures, while the single zwitterionic compound shows only a columnar hexagonal phase, and benzenesulfonic acid is nonmesomorphic. Anhydrous proton conduction on the order of 10(-4) S cm(-1) has been achieved for the mixture in the Cub(bi) phase over 100 °C, which can be useful for the development of new electrolytes for the next generation of fuel cells.
Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo , Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
Bartolome
B
Soberats
Masafumi
M
Yoshio
Takahiro
T
Ichikawa
Satomi
S
Taguchi
Hiroyuki
H
Ohno
Takashi
T
Kato
D001557:Benzenesulfonates / Q000737:chemistry*; D001622:Betaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008422:Materials Testing; D015394:Molecular Structure; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D011522:Protons; D013696:Temperature
D001557:Benzenesulfonates; D011522:Protons; D001622:Betaine; C032365:benzenesulfonic acid; C483727:sulfobetaine