Issue 14, 2019, Issue in Progress

A comparative study of side-chain-type poly(ether ether ketone) anion exchange membrane functionalized with different hetero-cycloaliphatic quaternary ammonium groups

Abstract

Anion exchange membranes based on side-chain-type quarternized poly(ether ether ketone)s (QPEEKs), containing different hetero-cycloaliphatic quaternary ammonium groups, were prepared via a multi-step procedure, including polycondensation with a monomer containing pendant methylphenyl groups, bromomethylation, and followed by quaternization with 1-methylpyrrolidine (MPY), 1-methylpiperidine (MPRD), 1-methylimidazole (MIDZ) and N-methyl morpholine (MMPH), respectively. The properties of these membranes were then compared with the properties of conventional quarternized poly(ether ether ketone)s containing benzyltrimethylammonium (QPEEK-TMA). Model compounds, QMPY, QMPRD, QMIDZ and QMMPH, were synthesized and used to quantitatively compare the alkaline stability of hetero-cycloaliphatic quaternary ammonium groups using 1H NMR. The results of this study indicated that the alkaline stability of all these model compounds is in the order of QMPY > QMPRD > QTMA > QMIDZ > QMMPH. These QPEEKs membranes display superior thermal, dimensional and mechanical stability. QPEEK-TMA, QPEEK-MPY and QPEEK-MPRD exhibit higher hydroxide conductivities and lower activation energies than QPEEK-MIDZ and QPEEK-MMPH. Furthermore, after exposure to 1 M NaOH at 60 °C for 24 days, QPEEK-MPY and QPEEK-MPRD demonstrated a loss in hydroxide conductivity of 28.5% and 33.4%, respectively. Both values were lower than that of QPEEK-TMA (37.7%). Therefore, among these side-chain-type QPEEKs membranes, QPEEK-MPY and QPEEK-MPRD, containing benzylmethylpyrrolidinium and benzylmethylpiperidinium as cation head-groups, are promising AEM materials for fuel cell construction.

Graphical abstract: A comparative study of side-chain-type poly(ether ether ketone) anion exchange membrane functionalized with different hetero-cycloaliphatic quaternary ammonium groups

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
30 Nov 2018
Accepted
07 Feb 2019
First published
11 Mar 2019
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2019,9, 7975-7983

A comparative study of side-chain-type poly(ether ether ketone) anion exchange membrane functionalized with different hetero-cycloaliphatic quaternary ammonium groups

D. Yao, T. Wei, L. Shang, H. Na and C. Zhao, RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 7975 DOI: 10.1039/C8RA09840A

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