The challenge in developing high-performance anion exchange
membranes
(AEMs) involves achieving high ion conductivity while maintaining
sufficient alkaline and mechanical stability. In this work, an aromatic
monomer [bis(4′-(1,5-dibromopentan-3-yl)phenyl)-1,4-terphenyl
(BBTP)] with a bulky aryl unit and symmetric dibrominated branches
was first designed and synthesized. Then, BBTP was used to prepare
aryl ether-free AEMs (QPTPDP-x-OH) via the superacid-catalyzed
polyhydroxyalkylation and Menshutkin reactions. Due to the several
structural advantages of BBTP, QPTPDP-x-OH membranes
reached high hydroxide conductivity up to 161.5 mS cm–1 at 80 °C while maintaining good dimensional stability. Moreover,
the membranes exhibited high alkaline stability with the conductivity
retention above 80% after soaking in 5 M NaOH at 80 °C for 1200
h. In addition, QPTPDP-30-OH membranes achieved a peak power density
of 407.8 mW cm–2 in H2–O2 fuel cells at 60 °C. The design strategy used in this work
provided insights into the development of next-generation AEMs with
high performance.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.