1 research outputs found
Microcrystalline-Induced Physical-Cross-linking toward a High Performance Hyper-Branched Anion Exchange Membrane
An anion exchange membrane (AEM) is the core component
of the low-cost
anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC). To realize the commercial
application of AEMFC, extremely low swelling of AEM is vital for the
membrane electrode assembly preparation and cell integrity, except
for high hydroxide conductivity, strength, and chemical stability.
However, it is hard to achieve an extremely low swelling ratio while
maintaining high conductivity, especially for a homogeneous membrane.
Herein, a series of quaternized polyÂ(trans-1,2-diphenylethylene-co-terphenyl-N,N′-dimethyl
piperidinium) with a sophisticated structure are synthesized for AEM
to address such dilemma. The physical-cross-linking induced by microcrystalline
effectively restricts the swelling of AEM (<6.2%@80 °C). Moreover,
a hyper-branched structure is also introduced in order to increase
the free volume in the polymer membrane, resulting in a high conductivity
of up to 275.6 mS cm–1 at 80 °C. Accordingly,
excellent fuel cell performance with a peak power density of 1.13
W cm–2 for H2–O2 at
80 °C is attained