A series of phosphoric acid (PA)
doped imidazolium poly(phenylene
oxide) (PPO) membranes with different methylimidazole (MeIM) contents
were prepared to tailor the performance of solid-state membranes.
First, brominated poly(phenylene oxide) (BPPO) was synthesized by
methyl bromination. Then BPPO was reacted with MeIM and doped with
PA. The process was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
and 13C NMR. The PA absorption ability of the imidazolium
poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO-MeIM) membranes changed with increasing
MeIM content. PPO-MeIM membrane showed the best proton conductivity
of 6.79 × 10–2 S cm–1 at
0% relative humidity, the highest mechanical strength of 4.8 MPa at
the molar ratio of 4:10 (M-3#) at 30 °C, and high power density
of 260 mW cm–2 without additional humidification
at 160 °C. Results indicated that incorporation of an appropriate
amount of MeIM groups can achieve the best proton conduction performance
and mechanical properties.
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