Sulfonated-polyperfluoro-cyclobutane-polyphenylene polymers for PEM fuel cell applications

A polymer comprising polymer segments 1 and 2:

• E1(Z1)d—P1-Q1-P2 [1]
• E2(Z1)f—P3 [2]
• wherein:
• Z1 is —SO2X, —PO3H2, or —COX;
• E1, E2 is an aromatic or aliphatic-containing moiety wherein at least one of E1 and E2 include an aromatic substituted with Z1;
• X is an —OH, a halogen, an ester, or
• d is the number of Z1 functional groups attached to E1;
• f is the number of Z1 functional groups attached to E2;
• P1, P2, and P3 are each independently absent, —O—,—S—, —SO—,—SO2, —CO—, —NH—, NR2—, or —R3—, and
• R2 is C1-25 alkyl, C1-25 aryl or C1-25 arylene;
• R3 is C1-25 alkylene, C1-25 perfluoroalkylene, perfluoroalkyl ether, alkyl ether, or C1-25 arylene;
• R4 is trifluoromethyl, C1-25 alkyl, C1-25 perfluoroalkylene, C1-25 aryl, or another E1 group;
• and
• Q1 is a fluorinated cyclobutyl moiety,
• with the proviso that when d is greater than zero, f is zero;
• and when f is greater than zero, d is zero.