A facile functionalized routine for the synthesis of side-chain sulfonated poly(arylene ether ketone sulfone) as proton exchange membranes. (23rd February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xu, Jingmei; Wang, Zhe; Ni, Hongzhe; Zhang, Huixuan
• Is Part Of: International journal of hydrogen energy. Volume 42:Number 8(2017)
• Page Start: 5295
• Page End: 5305
• Publication Date: 2017-02-23
• Subjects: Sulfonated poly(arylene ether ketone sulfone) -- Proton exchange membrane -- Methanol permeability -- Side-chain -- Fuel cells; Hydrogen as fuel -- Periodicals; Hydrogène (Combustible) -- Périodiques; Hydrogen as fuel; Periodicals; 665.81
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.11.071
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0360-3199

Abstract

Abstract: A series of side-chain type proton exchange membrane (PEM) based on sulfonated poly(arylene ether ketone sulfone) (S-SPAEKS) has been synthesized through a simple free radical reaction by grafting 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) onto the polymer main chain. The side-chain type membranes showed lower water absorption and swelling ratio than that of main-chain type membranes. S-SPAEKS-2 exhibited the highest proton conductivity of 0.095 S cm −1 at 80 °C, while its swelling ratio was only 7.09% at the same temperature. Much lower methanol permeability in the range of 1.27 × 10 −8 cm 2 s −1 –2.61 × 10 −7 cm 2 s −1 compared to Nafion 117 (1.55 × 10 −6 cm 2 s −1 ) were also observed for the prepared membranes. Moreover, hydrophilic/hydrophobic phase separation morphology is observed obviously from TEM images. The results indicate that the side-chain type S-SPAEKS membranes are good alternative PEM materials for fuel cells. Graphical abstract: The hydrophilic–hydrophobic microphase separation structure is beneficial for the transportation of protons. The hydrogen bond and cross-linked structure can significantly inhibit the crossover of methanol. Highlights: A facile method was designed for the synthesis of novel side-chain-type PEM material. The side-chain type PEM showed low water uptake and excellent dimensional stability. The hydrophilic-hydrophobic separation structure was good for proton transportation.