AC-IMPEDANCE INVESTIGATIONS OF PROTON CONDUCTION IN NAFION(TM)

AC impedance spectroscopy has been employed to study the conduction of protons in Nation 117 polymer electrolyte membranes. Both two- and four-electrode geometries have been used to uniquely distinguish between the membrane impedance and the interfacial impedances. The results show that the impedance of Nation for frequencies up to 100 kHz is characterized by a pure resistance, similar to conventional liquid electrolytes. The frequency dependent features observed using a two-electrode geometry are shown to be consistent with well-characterized interfacial impedances and do not arise from ionic conduction in the membrane. These results show that previous two-electrode studies reported in the literature have misinterpreted the impedance of the electrode interfaces as belonging to the conduction process in the electrolyte.