ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

This is a page describing data taken during an experiment at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source. Information about the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source can be found at https://www.isis.stfc.ac.uk.


Investigation of Proton Diffusion Mechanisms in a Porous Phosphate Material Using Muon Spin Relaxation

Abstract: Porous materials with high proton conductivity are garnering significant attention due to their potential applications in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), a crucial technology in achieving global 'Net Zero' targets. We recently studied a porous phosphate material (Ni-Phos) that demonstrated a proton conductivity of 1.15 × 10?³ S·cm?¹ at 90 °C and 99% relative humidity (RH). Remarkably, exposure of this material to toxic air pollutants such as NO? and SO? significantly enhanced its conductivity. After gas capture, the conductivity increased by 29-fold for NO?@Ni-Phos (3.36 × 10?² S·cm?¹) and 12-fold for SO?@Ni-Phos (1.40 × 10?² S·cm?¹) under the same conditions. Importantly, the conductivity of NO?@Ni-Phos approaches that of commercially used Nafion (7.8 × 10?² S·cm?¹). We seek 3 days of beamtime on the EMU instrument to probe the proton transport mechanism within these materials using muon spectroscopy. This study will provide valuable insights into the development of robust proton-conducting materials and demonstrate the application of muon spectroscopy as a powerful tool for characterizing proton diffusion in these systems.

Principal Investigator: Professor Sihai Yang
Experimenter: Mr Benjamin Moore
Experimenter: Mr Dukula Prathapa Bilesha De Alwis Jayasinghe
Local Contact: Dr Francis Pratt
Experimenter: Mr Nippich Kaeosamut
Experimenter: Professor Martin Schroder
Experimenter: Mr Yuxiang Zhu
Experimenter: Mr Chegnzhi Hu

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2510275

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2510275

Part DOI Instrument Public release date Download Link
10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2510275-1 EMU 27 May 2028 Download

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
Select the data format above to find out more about it.

Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Professor Sihai Yang et al; (2025): Investigation of Proton Diffusion Mechanisms in a Porous Phosphate Material Using Muon Spin Relaxation, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2510275

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.



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