Journal of Power Sources, Vol.375, 421-432, 2018
Anion exchange membranes based on terminally crosslinked methyl morpholinium-functionalized poly(arylene ether sulfone)s
Azide-assisted terminal crosslinking of methyl morpholinium-functionalized poly(arylene ether sulfone) block copolymers yields products (xMM-PESs) suitable for use as anion exchange membranes. By combining the advantages of bulky morpholinium conductors and our unique polymer network cross linked only at the termini of the polymer chains, we can produce AEMs that after the crosslinking show minimal loss in conductivity, yet with dramatically reduced water uptake. Terminal crosslinking also significantly increases the thermal, mechanical and chemical stability levels of the membranes. A high ion conductivity of 73.4 mS cm(-1) and low water uptake of 26.1% at 80 degrees C are obtained for the crosslinked membrane with higher amount of hydrophilic composition, denoted as xMM-PES-1.5-1. In addition, the conductivity of the crosslinked xMM-PES-1.5-1 membrane exceeds that of its non-crosslinked counterpart (denoted as MM-PES-1.5-1) above 60 degrees C at 95% relative humidity because of its enhanced water retention capacity caused by the terminally-crosslinked structure. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords:Anion exchange membranes;Terminal crosslinking;Ion conductivity;Water uptake;Morpholinium conductor