Crosslinked poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) with a macromolecular crosslinker for anion exchange membrane fuel cells

A new material based on crosslinked poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) (PVBC) with a macromolecular crosslinker is synthesized and employed as the membrane for anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). PVBC is used as the hydroxide conducting polymers , while poly(vinyl acetal) (PVAc) containing dimethylamino groups plays the role as macromolecular crosslinker and the supporting matrix simultaneously. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) absorption spectra and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectra prove successful crosslinking between PVBC and PVAc. The crosslinked membrane shows hydroxide conductivity larger than 0.01 S cm −1 at room temperature , and the swelling by water at elevated temperature is suppressed. The H 2 /O 2 AEMFC using the crosslinked membrane shows a peak power density ( P max ) of 124.7 mW cm −2 at 40 °C, and the decrease of the open circuit voltage (OCV) of the fuel cell is negligible under continuous OCV conditions for 120 h. All the results indicate that the crosslinking with a macromolecular crosslinker may be a promising strategy to fabricate anion exchange membrane for the application in the AEMFCs.