Construction of N-spirocyclic cationic three-dimensional highly stable transport channels by electrospinning for anion exchange membrane fuel cells

A bead-on-string electrospinning strategy is proposed to solve the dilemma of unstable conduction channel while improving the OH− conductivity of anion exchange membranes (AEMs). Here, poly (aryl ether ketone)-based AEMs are synthesized via N-spirocyclic quaternary ammonium modification, and then processed by electrospinning and sparingly soluble techniques. N-spirocyclic cations are induced to orient during electrospinning, as evidenced by the long-range ordered aggregation of ion clusters through EDX. Therefore, the electrospun membrane exhibits significantly higher conductivity (74 mS cm−1 at 80 °C) and alkaline stability, the conductivity remains above 97% after being kept in a solution of 2 mol/L KOH at 80 °C for 720 h. The swelling of the beaded membrane is only 12%, and the tensile strength is about 24.9 MPa. This work provides a simple and effective method to densify nanofiber mats.