Ordered channels for OH- migration formed by quaternized mesoporous silica and its application in anionic conductive membranes

A series of anion exchange membranes (CSPY-x-QMSNs) were synthesised based on the schiff base functionalised chitosan (CSPY) as polymer matrix, a given amount of quaternized mesoporous silica (QMSNs) as filler, glutaraldehyde (GA) as crosslinker and the iodomethane as quaternization reagent. The maximum conductivity (3.55 × 10−2 S cm−1) at 80°C, which is about six times that of CSPY-0-QMSNs (the content of QMSNs is 0 wt%), was obtained under the content of QMSNs is 20 wt% (CSPY-20-QMSNs). The accelerated ageing experiment was carried out in 3 mol L−1 KOH solution for 120 h at 80°C, whichrevealed that theconductivity of CSPY-20-QMSNs membranes retains approximately 89.1% of its initial conductivity. Methanol permeability of CSPY-x-QMSNs membranes was only 1.2–3.3% of the Nafion-117 membrane in 3 mol L−1 methanol at 60°C for 3 h.