High mechanical performance Brominated Poly(aryl piperidinium) anion exchange membranes based on non-covalent crosslinking

Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) act as the heart of anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). To address the challenges of the chemical stability of AEMs and the trade-off between ionic conductivity and dimensional stability. Here, we report the non-covalent crosslinking strategy. The synergistic interaction of cation-dipole interactions and hydroxyl groups provide a dense hydrogen bonding network and form non-covalent crosslinking. The QPBTTP-PEG-10 membrane has a low swelling ratio (28.62%) and excellent hydroxide conductivity (127.76 mS cm−1) at 80 °C. Furthermore, the QPBTTP-PEG-10 treated in 3 M NaOH for 1200 h maintined ≥90.87% of its hydroxide conductivity. In addition, excellent thermal stability and mechanical properties (58.92 MPa and can withstand more than 10,000 times its own weight). The open circuit voltage and peak power density of QPBTTP-PEG-10 are 0.988 V and 369.64 mW cm−2 at 80 °C in H2–O2 with A/C dew points of 75 °C/77 °C.