Acidified Nitrogen Self-Doped Porous Carbon with Superprotonic Conduction for Applications in Solid-State Proton Battery

Solid proton electrolytes play a crucial role in various electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices. However, the development of fast proton conducting solid proton electrolytes at ambient conditions remains a significant challenge. In this study, a novel acidified nitrogen self-doped porous carbon material is presented that demonstrates exceptional superprotonic conduction for applications in solid-state proton battery. The material, designated as MSA@ZIF-8-C, is synthesized through the acidification of nitrogen-doped porous carbon, specifically by integrating methanesulfonic acid (MSA) into zeolitic imidazolate framework-derived nitrogen self-doped porous carbons (ZIF-8-C). This study reveals that MSA@ZIF-8-C achieves a record-high proton conductivity beyond 10-2 S cm-1 at ambient condition, along with good long-term stability, positioning it as a cutting-edge alternative solid proton electrolyte to the default aqueous H2SO4 electrolyte in proton batteries. A new family of solid proton electrolytes is prepared through the integration of acidic molecular species into nitrogen self-doped porous carbon. These new solid proton electrolytes exhibit record-high proton conduction beyond 10-2 S cm-1 at ambient condition and hold great promise as an electrolyte for solid-state proton batteries.image