Low boiling point solvent-soluble, highly conductive and stable poly (ether phenylene piperidinium) anion exchange membrane

The cheap, highly-conductive and alkali-resistant anion exchange membrane is crucial for fuel cell. In this work, poly (ether phenylene piperidinium)-based membranes are prepared through the polymerization of diphenyl ether, N-methyl-4-piperidone and methyl 2-oxopropionate or 2,2,2-trifluoroacetophenone under super acid catalysis. These polymers are much cheaper than other reported piperidiniums due to the low cost of diphenyl ether as well as the reduced super acid catalyst dosage originating from the enhanced reactive activity. The performances are better for the membrane from 2,2,2-trifluoroacetophenone than from methyl 2-oxopropionate. The membrane shows the highest conductivity of 88 mS cm−1 and good alkaline stability of >1000 h. Having good solubility in low boiling point solvent (acetone/water), the poly (ether phenylene piperidinium) is a suitable material for the AEMs and ionomer. The single cell employing poly (ether phenylene piperidinium) as both membrane and ionomer exhibits the highest peak power density of 506 mW cm−2. The results indicate that poly (ether phenylene piperidinium) membrane is promising for fuel cell.