Main‐Chain Ion‐Pair Polybenzimidazole Membranes Enabling Reduced‐Temperature HT‐PEMFC Operation (Down to 120°C) (Adv. Energy Mater. 23/2026)

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Embedding imidazolium–biphosphate ion-pair motifs directly within the polybenzimidazole backbone locks in phosphoric acid and maintains interconnected proton-conduction channels. Cooperative ion-pair and hydrogen-bond networks reduce phosphate mobility and mitigate acid loss while sustaining high conductivity. The resulting membrane supports robust HT-PEMFC durability across wide operating conditions, including efficient operation at reduced temperatures (to 120 °C). More in article number e70811, Huina Lin and Brian C. Benicewicz.