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Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions
Published on: October 10, 2016
Aromatic Polymers Incorporating Bis-N-spirocyclic Quaternary Ammonium Moieties for Anion-Exchange Membranes
Thanh Huong Pham1, Patric Jannasch1
1Polymer & Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden.
Abstract:
We have prepared and studied a new class of anion-conducting membrane materials functionalized with N-spirocyclic quaternary ammonium (QA) cations formed via cycloquaternization reactions involving pyrrolidine, piperidine, and azepane, respectively. These cations were introduced in pairs, adjoined through fused phenyl rings along poly(arylene ether sulfone) backbones. Despite their bulkiness, the bis-N-spirocyclic QA moieties efficiently formed ionic clusters in anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) and showed thermal stability up to 309 °C, as well as a reasonable alkaline stability. The hydroxide ion conductivity of the AEMs increased with decreasing ring size, and a fully hydrated pyrrolidine-based AEM reached a conductivity of 110 mS cm-1 at 80 °C. The results of this study indicate new synthetic pathways to high-performance AEMs based on N-spirocyclic QA groups.
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