Highly ionic-conductive crosslinked cardo poly(arylene ether sulfone)s as anion exchange membranes for alkaline fuel cells

Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) have become one of the most promising energy-conversion devices due to the potential of adopting non-noble metal catalysts and faster oxygen reduction reaction kinetics in an alkaline operating environment. Here, a series of anion exchange membranes with high ionic-conductivity and low swelling ratio were prepared from imidazolium-functionalized crosslinked cardo poly(arylene ether sulfone)s for AEMFCs. Two oligomers, tertiary amine-containing poly(arylene ether sulfone) (PES-DA) and bromomethyl-containing poly(arylene ether sulfone) (BPES), are synthesized and then mixed at −40   °C. They are spontaneously inter-crosslinked at room temperature to form dense anion exchange membranes (AEMs), in which the tertiary amine groups of PES-DA rapidly react with the bromomethyl groups of BPES to form the crosslinked bonds. This avoids the use of crosslinking agents and the expense of functional groups. The resulting membranes show a high hydroxide conductivity up to 82.4   mS   cm −1 at 80   °C and a slight swelling low to traditional AEMs due to its crosslinked network structure. An open circuit voltage (OCV) of 0.82   V and a maximum power density of 92.1   mW   cm −2 are achieved in a H 2 /O 2 single cell. The as-prepared membranes have a great potential for the application in AEMFCs.