Hydrophilic Flexible Ether Containing, Cross-Linked Anion-Exchange Membrane Quaternized with DABCO

Anion-exchange membranes (AEM) with high ion content usually suffer from excessive water absorption and dilution effects that impair conductivity and mechanical properties. We herein report a novel ether containing a cross-linking strategy without adopting high ion-exchange capacity (IEC). The ether-containing cross-links and the quaternized structure are created simultaneously by introducing an ether-containing flexible hydrophilic spacer between two 1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2,2]octane or DABCO molecules; the resultant bi-DABCO structure was further employed to react with chloromethylated polysulfone. The long spacer with the ether moiety may benefit the hydroxide ion transport, and the cross-links will control the swelling and water absorption of the AEM. The two ether groups in the long spacer of the cross-links will also shield the DABCO cation from OH– attack due to an electron-donating effect. The prepared membranes exhibited an improved conductivity of 31 mS/cm (at 25 °C) at a comparatively low IEC (1.08 mmol/g) with a rational water absorption and low swelling ratio (95.0 and 27.1%, respectively); they also displayed an enhanced alkaline stability in 1 M NaOH aqueous solution at 80 °C for 150 h. The density functional theory study and physical characterization after the alkaline treatment further confirm the better chemical stability of the cross-linked membrane over its counterpart. Our work presents an effective strategy to balance AEM conductivity and robustness.