Eutectic CsHSO4-Coordination Polymer Glasses with Superprotonic Conductivity

Two phases better than one for conducting protons

28 February 2023

A new binary glass system can conduct protons with almost no resistance at lower temperatures than the super-protonic phase it is based on.

Caesium hydrogen sulfate (CsHSO₄) can conduct protons (H⁺ ions) at very small resistances making it promising as a solid electrolyte in fuel cells and sensors. But this ability exists only at high temperatures above 141 degrees Celsius. To make it more useful for applications, researchers are looking for ways to lower this temperature.

Now, a team led by researchers from Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC) in Thailand has shown that incorporating caesium hydrogen sulfate in a polymer can lower this temperature considerably.

They used this two-phase material to produce a thin-film proton conductor that exhibited low resistivity and high transparency. 

This demonstration should make caesium hydrogen sulfate more appealing for applications, the researchers say.

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References

1. Journal of the American Chemical Society 144, 18619–18628 (2022). doi: 10.1021/jacs.2c08624