Vibrational Spectroscopic Investigations of Commercial Nafion 112 and Related Fluorinated Ionomer Materials

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and ultraviolet (UV) Raman spectroscopy methods were applied to analyze commercial Nafion and structurally related fluorinated ionomer membranes. Nafion, a commercial perfluorosulfonic acid material, has been the focus of extensive study, as it is utilized in a wide range of areas, including energy production and chemical sensing. However, issues with water management and temperature stability have motivated the search for other types of ionomer. As such, structurally related fluorinated membranes have been developed in attempts to optimize essential properties, such as water transport and proton conductivity. Structural differences in these materials were examined by vibrational spectroscopy. Raman studies were performed using an UV source to allow the enhancement of the Raman signal and reduce fluorescence versus a visible source. Characteristics derived from the spectra will be discussed, and comparisons will be made between the two vibrational methods.