Multi-block sulfonated poly(phenylene) copolymer proton exchange membranes
AssigneeSandia Corporation
InventorsCy H. Fujimoto, Michael Hibbs, Andrea Ambrosini
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Abstract
Improved multi-block sulfonated poly(phenylene) copolymer compositions, methods of making the same, and their use as proton exchange membranes (PEM) in hydrogen fuel cells, direct methanol fuel cells, in electrode casting solutions and electrodes. The multi-block architecture has defined, controllable hydrophobic and hydrophilic segments. These improved membranes have better ion transport (proton conductivity) and water swelling properties.
Claims21
A method of synthesizing a multi-block sulfonated Diels Alder poly(phenylene) copolymer, comprising, in the order listed:
- a) synthesizing an end-capped, controlled molecular weight DAPP oligomer, having a known repeat unit length= n wherein the end-capping step comprising using an end-cap monomer selected from the group consisting of 3-ethynylanisole, 4-ethynylanisole, 2-ethynylanisole, ethynyl ethoxybenzene, and ethynyl isopropoxybenzene;
- b) converting the end-cap groups to a reactive functional group;
- c) linking the DAPP oligomer with a second polymer segment having m repeat units, to make a multi-block copolymer having n and m repeat units;
- and
- d) sulfonating the multi-block copolymer by attaching acid groups onto only the DAPP repeat units, thereby producing a multi-block sulfonated Diels Alder poly(phenylene) copolymer having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic segments.
A multi-block sulfonated Diels Alder poly(phenylene) copolymer, comprising a sulfonated DAPP segment having a repeat unit size=n, which is linked to a non-sulfonated fluorinated poly(arylene ether) polymer segment having a repeat unit size=m;
- wherein the copolymer has the following structure:
- wherein R represents a hydrogen atom or a SO3H group.
A method of synthesizing a multi-block sulfonated Diels Alder poly(phenylene) copolymer, comprising performing the following four-step reaction:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.