Modification and characterization of a novel composite material based on a Nafion membrane and polypyrrole

The process of polypyrrole (PPy) embedding on the surface of a Nafion membrane was studied. The diffusion method was used for synthesis of the composite. An attempt was made to incorporate Nafion chains instead of sulfate into the PPy film as a counterion. The prepared composites were characterized with respect to their permeability to a monomer and methanol. Compared with a self-standing Nafion membrane, the permeability of the composite is reduced by several orders of magnitude. The incorporation of Nafion into the PPy film resulted in enhanced composite permeability to methanol. It can, therefore, be used to a limited extent to tune its properties. This may be of great importance in a potential application of this composite in polymer electrode membrane fuel cells as an alternative membrane electrode assembly. (c) 2005 The Electrochemical Society.