Structure–Property Relationship of PEMs with Varying IEC under Different Humidity Environments

Structure–Property Relationship of PEMs with Varying IEC under Different Humidity Environments | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Structure–Property Relationship of PEMs with Varying IEC under Different Humidity Environments Huda fadol S alyafei, Ashour M. Ahmed, Mohamed H.M. Hassanien, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7232267/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study examines the influence of relative humidity (RH) on the physicochemical and electrochemical characteristic of perfluorinated sulfonic acid/PTFE-based polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) under varying ion exchange capacity (IEC) condition’s. Three commercial membranes Fumapem® F-950, F-1050, and F-14100 exhibiting IECs of 1.05, 0.95, and 0.71 meq/g, respectively, were systematically evaluated to understand their dielectric heavier across a RH range of 0–80%. Proton conductivity was measured using AC impedance spectroscopy, while DC conductivity was derived from Nyquist plots. Dielectric constant and loss tangent were analyzed to study charge relaxation and polarization behavior. Stress-strain curves were used to extract mechanical parameters such as toughness, resilience, elongation at break, Young's modulus, and also tensile strength. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) provided insight into the temperature-dependent viscoelastic properties and glass transition temperature (Tg) of each membrane. Results show that increasing IEC enhances proton conductivity (and water uptake, but reduces mechanical stability. Dielectric analysis revealed strong dependence on both RH and IEC, with relaxation processes indicating mixed ionic conduction mechanisms. A strong correlation was observed between IEC and dynamic response, suggesting a trade-off between ionic transport efficiency and mechanical integrity. By balancing hydration, conductivity, and structural resilience under practical circumstances. Fuel cell dielectric materials polymer electrolyte membrane mechanical testing Dynamic test (DMN) renewable energy clean energy Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7232267","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":501083519,"identity":"fd6b24ca-b290-4d71-afab-b178d622b925","order_by":0,"name":"Huda fadol S alyafei","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"(1)\tDepartment of Physics and Materials Sciences, Qatar University College of Arts and Sciences,","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Huda","middleName":"fadol S","lastName":"alyafei","suffix":""},{"id":501083520,"identity":"0a82ff74-2c8f-47d0-8e24-d381cd727cdd","order_by":1,"name":"Ashour M. 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Three commercial membranes Fumapem\u0026reg; F-950, F-1050, and F-14100 exhibiting IECs of 1.05, 0.95, and 0.71 meq/g, respectively, were systematically evaluated to understand their dielectric heavier across a RH range of 0\u0026ndash;80%. Proton conductivity was measured using AC impedance spectroscopy, while DC conductivity was derived from Nyquist plots. Dielectric constant and loss tangent were analyzed to study charge relaxation and polarization behavior. Stress-strain curves were used to extract mechanical parameters such as toughness, resilience, elongation at break, Young's modulus, and also tensile strength. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) provided insight into the temperature-dependent viscoelastic properties and glass transition temperature (Tg) of each membrane. Results show that increasing IEC enhances proton conductivity (and water uptake, but reduces mechanical stability. Dielectric analysis revealed strong dependence on both RH and IEC, with relaxation processes indicating mixed ionic conduction mechanisms. A strong correlation was observed between IEC and dynamic response, suggesting a trade-off between ionic transport efficiency and mechanical integrity. 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