Sulfonated fluorinated multi-block copolymer hybrid containing sulfonated(poly ether ether ketone) and graphene oxide: A ternary hybrid membrane architecture for electrolyte applications in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

A ternary hybrid membrane architecture consisting of sulfonated fluorinated multi-block copolymer （SFMC）, sulfonated （poly ether ether ketone） （SPEEK） and I or 5 wt% graphene oxide （GO） was fabricated through a facile solution casting approach. The simple, but effective monomer sulfonation was performed for SFMC to create compact and rigid hydrophobic backbone structures, while conventional random sulfonation was carried-out for SPEEK. Hydrophilic-hydrophobic-hydrophilic structure of SFMC enhances the compatibility with SPEEK and GO and allows for an unprecedented approach to alter me- chanical strength and proton conductivity of ternary hybrid membrane, as verified from universal test machine （UTM） curves and alternating current （AC） impedance plots. The impact of GO integration on the morphology and roughness of hybrid membrane was scrutinized using field emission scanning electron microscope （FE-SEM） and atomic force microscope （AFM）. Ternary hybrid showed uniform intercalation of GO nanosheets throughout the entire surface of membrane with an increased surface roughness of 8.91 nm. The constructed ternary hybrid membrane revealed excellent water absorption, ion exchange capacity and gas barrier properties, while retaining reasonable dimensional stability. The well-optimized ternary hybrid membrane containing 5 wt% GO revealed a maximum proton conductivity of 111.9 mS/cm, which is higher by a factor of two-fold with respect to that of bare SFMC membrane. The maximum PEMFC power density of 528.07mW/cm2 was yielded by ternary hybrid membrane at a load current density of 1321.1 mA/cm2 when operating the cell at 70 ℃ under 100% relative humidity （RH）. In comparison, a maximum power density of only 182.06 mW/cm2 was exhibited by the bare SFMC membrane at a load current density of 455.56 mA/cm2 under same operating conditions.

Proton-Exchange Sulfonated Poly （ether ether ketone） （SPEEK）/SiOx-S Composite Membranes in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

A sulfonated poly（ether ether ketone） （SPEEK） membrane with a fairly high degree of sulfonation （DS） can swell excessively and even dissolve at high temperature. To solve these problems, insolvable functionalized silica powder with sulfonic acid groups （SiOx-S） was added into the SPEEK matrix （DS = 55.1%） to prepare SPEEK/ SiOx-S composite membranes. The decrease in both the swelling degree and the methanol permeability of the membranes was a dose-dependent result of addition of the SiOx-S powder. Pure SPEEK membrane swelled 52.6% at 80℃, whereas the SPEEK/SiOx-S （15%, by mass） membrane swelled only 27.3% at the same temperature. From room temperature to 80℃, all SPEEK/SPEEK/SiOx-S composite membranes had methanol permeability of about one order of magnitude lower than that ofNafion115. Compared with pure SPEEK membranes, the addition of the SiOx-S powder not only leads to higher proton conductivity, but also increases the dimensional stability at higher temperatures, and greater proton conductivity can be achieved at higher temperature. The SPEEK/SiO4-S （20%, by mass） membrane could withstand temperature up to 145℃, at which in 100% relative humidity （RH） its proton conductivity exceeded slightly that of Nafion 1 15 membrane and reached 0.17 S·cm^-1, while pure SPEEK membrane dissolved at 90℃. The SPEEK/SiOx-S composite membranes are promising for use in direct methanol fuel cells because of their good dimensional stability, high proton conductivity, and low methanol permeability.

Proton-exchange Sulfonated Poly（ether ether ketone）/Sulfonated Phenolphthalein Poly（ether sulfone） Blend Membranes in DMFCs

A sulfonated poly（ether ether ketone） （SPEEK） membrane with fairly high degree of sulfonation （DS） swells excessively and even dissolves at high temperature. To solve these problems, sulfonated phenolphthalein poly（ether sulfone） （SPES-C, DS= 53.7%） is blended with the SPEEK matrix （DS= 55.1%, 61.7%） to prepare SPEEKJSPES-C blend membrane. The decrease in swelling degree and methanol permeability of the membrane is dose-dependent. Pure SPEEK （DS = 61.7%） membrane dissolves completely in water at 70℃, whereas the swelling degree of the SPEEK （DS = 61.7%）/SPES-C （40%, by mass） membrane is 29.7% at 80℃. From room temperature to 80℃, the methanol permeability of all SPEEK （DS = 55.1%）/SPES-C blend membranes is about one order of magnitude lower than that of Nafion 115. At higher temperature, the addition of SPES-C polymer increases the dimensional stability and greater proton conductivity can be achieved. The SPEEK （DS = 55.1%）/SPES-C （40%, by mass） membrane can withstand temperatures up to 150℃. The proton conductivity of SPEEK （DS = 55.1%）/SPES-C （30%, by mass） membrane approaches 0.16 S·cm^-1, matching that of Nafion 115 at 140℃ and 100% RH, while pure SPEEK （DS = 55.1%） membrane dissolves at 90℃. The SPEEK/SPES-C blend membranes are promising for use in direct methanol fuel cells because of their good dimensional stability, high proton conductivity, and low methanol permeability.

Proton Conducting Composite Membranes from Sulfonated Polyether Ether Ketone and SiO_2

Proton conducting composite membranes from sulfonated polyether ether ketone and SiO2 for direct methanol fuel cell （DMFC） application were prepared with sulfonated polyether ether ketone（SPEEK） and tetracethoxy silane（TEOS） by sol-gel method. The covalent crosslinking structure was formed between —SO3H of SPEEK via SiO2. The SEM images show that the interfacial compatibility of SPEEK and SiO2 is improved obviously and SiO2 disperses uniformly in the polymer matrix and the particle diameter of SiO2 does not exceed 40 nm. The proton conductivity of composite membranes decreases slightly compared with the SPEEK membrane while the methanol permeability and swelling of composite membrane are improved remarkablely owing to covalent cross-linking between —SO3H and SiO2 .

Ex situ aging effect on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) membrane:Hydration-dehydration cycling and hydrothermal treatment

Prolonged hydrothermal treatment for sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) membranes induces mechanical degradation and developing hydrophilic-hydrophobic phase separation, simultaneously. The enhanced phase separation provides incremental proton conductivity to the membranes, whereas mechanical degradation drastically reduces device stability. On this basis, we describe here the effects of two different ex situ aging processes on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) membranes: hydrationdehydration cycling and prolonged hydrothermal treatment. Both aged membranes exhibited enhanced phase separation under the hydrated conditions, as characterized by small angle X-ray scattering.However, when the aged membranes were dried again, the nanostructure of the membranes aged via the hydration-dehydration cycling was recoverable, whereas that of the membranes aged via prolonged hydrothermal treatment was irreversible. Furthermore, the two differently aged membranes showed clear differences in thermal, mechanical, and electrochemical properties. Finally, we implemented both aged membranes in fuel cell application. The sample aged via hydration-dehydration cycling maintained its improved cell performance, whereas the sample aged via hydrothermal treatment showed drastically reduced cell performance after durability test for 50 h.

Synthesis and characterization of quaternized poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone)for anion-exchange membrane

Chloromethylated poly（phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone） （CMPPESK） was prepared from poly（phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone） （PPESK） using chloromethyl octyl ethers （CMOE） with lower toxicity as chloromethylated regent. CMPPESK was soluble in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone （NMP）, N,N-dimethylacetamide （DMAc） and chloroform. Quaternized poly（phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone） （QAPPESK） was prepared from CMPPESK by quaternization. QAPPESK had excellent solvent resistance, which was only partly soluble in sulfuric acid （98%） and swollen in N,N-dimethylformamide （DMF）. The vanadium redox flow battery （V-RFB） using QAPPESK anion-exchange membrane had better performance with 88.3% of overall energy efficiency.

Synthesis and characterization of novel poly(aryl ether sulfone ketone)s containing phthalazinone and biphenyl moieties

A novel series of poly（aryl ether sulfone ketone）s （PPESKs） containing phthalazinone and biphenyl moieties were prepared by two-step nucleophilic polycondensation reaction. The ^-Mw values of these copolymers were between 38,330 and 67,900. The glass transition temperatures （Tg） and 5% decomposition temperatures were ranged in 253-269 ℃ and 488-500 ℃, respectively, The structures of these copolymers were confirmed by FT-IR and ^1H NMR. Moreover, all the resultant copolymers were amorphous determined by wide angle X-ray diffraction （WAXD）.

Synthesis of Poly(phthalazinone ether ketone) Containing Sodium Sulfonate Groups via Direct Polymerization

1, 2-Diliydro-4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)(2H)phthalazin-1-one(DHPZ) was sulfonated in concentrated Sulfuric acid. Poly(phthalazinone ether ketone) containing pendant sodium sulfonate group was synthesized from sulfonated and pure 1,2-dihydro-4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)(2H)phthalazin-1-one, and 4,4'-difluorodiphenylketone. The sulfonated monomer and sulfonated polymer were characterized with FT-IR and H-1-NMR.

Synthesis and properties of soluble poly（aryl ether sulfone ether ketone）s copolymers containing pendant methyl groups

A series of Poly（arly ether sulfone ether ketone）s containing pendant methyl groups were synthesized by the reaction of 4,4＇-[sulfonylbis （1,4-phenylene）dioxy] dibenzoyl chloride （SODBC） with 4,4＇- diphenoxy diphenylsulfone （DPODPS）, 4,4＇- di（2-methylphenoxy） diphenylsulfone （o-Me-DPODPS）, 4,4＇- di（3-methylphenoxy） diphenylsulfone （m-Me-DPODPS）, 4,4＇- di （2,6-bimethylphenoxy） biphenylsulfone（o-Me2-DPODPS） respectively, in a mixture of 1,2-dichloroethane （DCE） and N-methylpyrrolidone （NMP）. These reactions were catalyzed by anhydrous aluminum chloride （AlCl）. The characteristic of copolymers were studied by means of advanced analytical techniques such as FT-IR,1H-NMR, DSC, TGA and WAXD. The results show glass transition temperature （Tg） in the range of 193-206℃, thermally stable in excess of 434℃ and excellent solubility in polar solvents. Methyl-substituted Poly（aryl ether sulfone ketone）s had higher glass transition temperatures, lower initial decomposition temperatures than the unsubstituted ones.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PHTHALAZINONE POLY(ARYL ETHER SULFONE KETONE)WITH CARBONYL GROUP

A kind of novel heat-resistant, high performance engineering thermoplastic phthalazinone poly(aryl ether sulfone ketone) (PPESK) containing a carboxyl group in its side chain was prepared by the nucleophilic displacement reaction of 4-(4-hydroxylphenyl)- 1 (2H)-phthalazinone with di(4-chlorophenyl) sulfone, 4,4'-difluoro-benzophenone and phenolphthalin in sulfolane in the presence of K2CO3 to produce high molecular weight polymers which can be dissolved in some polar solvents such as chloroform and nitrobenzene at room temperature and can be easily cast into flexible, yellowish and transparent films. PPESK is an amorphous polymer having a decomposition temperature above 400degreesC, which indicates that it has high thermal stability. At the same time, the thermal properties of PPESKs with dicyandiamide (DICY) as curing agent indicated that the heat-resistance properties of the PPESKs are improved after curing. The apparent activation energy (A-E) of the cross-linking reaction and the reaction order (n) of PPESK/DICY were found to be 52.2 kJ/mol and ca. 1.0, respectively. Therefore, the cross-linking reaction is approximately a first order reaction.

Synthesis and Characterization of Poly (Ether Sulfone Ketone) Containing the Phthalazinone Moiety

A novel poly (ether sulfone ketone) containing the phthalazinone moiety was prepared by the reaction of 4-)4-hydroxyphenyl) (2H) phthalazin-1-one with activated dichloro-monomers. The polymer was characterized by FT-IR, H-1-NMR, DSC, TGA and X-ray diffraction.

Sulfonated poly(aryl ether ketone sulfone)modified by polyoxometalates LaW_(10) clusters for proton exchange membranes with high proton conduction performance

Polyoxometalates(POMs)are classified as solid superacids which can exhibit notable proton conductivity,making them a promising functional inorganic filler for enhancing the proton conductivity of proton exchange membranes(PEMs).In this study,a series of hybrid membranes were obtained by molecular-level hybridization of Weakley-type POM Na_(7)H_(2)LaW_(10)O_(36)(LaW_(10))clusters into sulfonated poly(aryl ether ketone sulfone)(SPAEKS).All hybrid membranes exhibited greater proton conductivity than the pristine membrane in the 30–80℃temperature range.When the doping amount of LaW 10 reached 7 wt.%,the proton conductivity of M-LaW 10^(-7)achieved 64 mS·cm^(−1)at 80℃.Lanthanide ions'high coordination number property and variable coordination environment can aid to attract more water molecules from the environment.LaW 10 and these bound water can construct denser hydrogen bonds with–SO_(3)H of SPAEKS.These intensive hydrogen bonds will facilitate the constitution of more continuous proton transport channels,and improve the proton conductivity of the hybrid membrane.This work off ers a fresh approach to using POMs containing rare-earth components in PEMs.

UV-induced Self-initiated Graft Polymerization of Acrylamide onto Poly(ether ether ketone)

Photo-grafting of hydrophilic monomer was used to enhance the hydrophilicity of poly（ether ether ketone） （PEEK） with the aim of extending its applications to biological fields. PEEK sheets were surface modified by grafting of acrylamide（AAm） with ultraviolet（UV） irradiation in the presence or absence of benzophenone（BP）. The effects of BP, irradiation time and monomer concentration on the surface wettability of PEEK were investigated. Characteriza tion of modified PEEK using scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, energy-disperse spectrometer（EDS） and water contact angle measurements shows that AAm was successfully grafted on PEEK surface both in presence and absence of BP. With the increase in irradiation time and monomer concentration, contact angles decrease to as low as 30°, demonstrating a significant improvement of surface hydrophilicity. In agreement with the decrease in contact angle, under identical conditions, the nitrogen concentration increases, suggesting the increase in grafting degree of the grafting polymerization. This investigation demonstrates a self-initiation of PEEK due to its BP-like structure in the backbone of the polymer. Though the graft polymerization proceeds more readily in the presence of BP, the self-initiated graft polymerization is clearly observed.

Immobilization of Bovine Serum Albumin on Poly(ether ether ketone) for Surface Biocompatibility Improvement

UV-induced graft polymerization of acrylic acid（AA） on poly（ether ether ketone）（PEEK） films was carried out to introduce ―COOH for the subsequent immobilization of bovine serum albumin（BSA）.BSA was introduced on PEEK surface based on the condensation reaction between ―NH 2 and ―COOH.The modified surface（PEEK-BSA） was characterized by energy-disperse spectrometry（EDS）,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）,water contact angle measurement and UV spectrum analysis.The contact angle was found to decrease from 104° for the virgin PEEK films to 63° for the BSA-immobilized PEEK films,demonstrating a significant improvement of surface hydrophilicity.Moreover,the appearance of nitrogen on PEEK film confirmed by XPS and EDS indicates the immobilization of BSA on PEEK surface.

Synthesis and Thermal Crosslinking Behavior of Poly(aryl ether ketone)s Containing 1,4-Naphthalene Moieties

A new monomer, 1,4-bis(4-fluorobenzoyl) naphthalene(compound 2) was synthesized via a two-step reaction. 1,4-Naphthalenedicarboxylic acid chloride(compound 1) was prepared by using the acyl chlorization reaction of 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid with thionyl chloride. The Friedel-Crafts acylation of compound 1 with fluorobenzene afforded compound 2 in a 80% yield. The polycondensation of compound 2 with various bisphenols in tetramethylene sulfone(TMS) in the presence of excess potassium carbonate as a condensation reagent was carried out at 210 ℃ to quantitatively afford the corresponding poly(aryl ether ketone)s(compounds 3_8) containing 1,4-naphthalene moieties. Thermal analyses showed that the polymers have T g values ranging from 496 to 500 K and are thermally stable in air with initial mass loss above 500 ℃. These novel polymers exhibited an excellent solubility in organic solvents including NMP, DMAc, and chloroform, etc. In addition, the glass transition temperatures of these polymers increased and the polymers became insoluble in chloroform after treated at 260 ℃, indicating the occurrence of a thermal crosslinking reaction.

Characterization and tribological investigation of self-assembled trimethoxysilyl-functionalized poly(phthalazinone ether ketone)thin films on glass substrates

Trimethoxysilyl-functionalized PPEK（PKGS） films had been designed to serve as wear resistant coatings for silicon surfaces. These surface films were formed by a dip-coating technique applied to self-assembled monolayers（SAMs）.The formation and wetting behavior of PKGS films were characterized by means of contact angle measurement.The friction coefficient of the film prepared is very low（about 0.1）,and the anti-wear behavior is good,with a lack of failure after sliding over 1800 s.

SYNTHESIS AND PROPERTIES OF SULFONATED POLY(ARYLENE ETHER) CONTAINING TRIPHENYL METHANE MOIETIES FROM ISOCYNATE MASKED BISPHENOL

A novel sulfonated poly（arylene ether） containing triphenylmethane moieties was synthesized by the sulfonation of a designed parent polymer using chlorosulfonic acid as sulfonation agent. The sulfonation took place at the para position of the pendant phenyl rings because of the specially designed parent polymer. The position and degree of sulfonation were characterized by ^1H-NMR and elemental analysis. The sulfonated polymers are highly soluble in common organic solvents, such as dimethylsulfoxide, N,N＇-dimethylacetamide, dimethylformamide, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, and can be readily cast into tough and smooth films from solutions. The films showed good thermal and hydrolysis stabilities. Moreover, Fenton＇s reagent test revealed that the films exhibited superior stability to oxidation. The proton conductivities of the films were comparable with Nation 117 under same conditions. The membrane electrode assembly （MEA） prepared with the asmade film （706 EW, 100 μm dry thickness） shows better cell performance than Nation 115-MEA in the whole current density range.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLY(ARYL ETHER KETONE)CONTAINING BIPHENYLPHTHALAZINONE MOIETY

A new poly(aryl ether ketone) containing biphenylphthalazinone moiety was prepared by the reaction of 4-(4-hydroxybiphenyl) phthalazine-1-one with 4, 4'-difluorobenzophenone. The monomer and the polymer were characterized by FT-IR and H-1-NMR. Some properties of this polymer were described.

Poly(ether ether ketone ketone) based imidazolium as anion exchange membranes for alkaline fuel cells

An imidazolium functionalized poly(ether ether ketone ketone)(PEEKK-DIm OH)anion exchange membrane(AEM)readily soluble in certain low-boiling-point solvents(isopropanol)is prepared.The solubility results are consistent with the results of molecular dynamics simulations.By varying the chloromethylation reaction temperature or concentrated sulfuric acid concentration of PEEKK,the degrees of chloromethylation of PEEKK are changed from 54% to 92%,the corresponding PEEKK-DIm OH AEMs with the ion exchange capacities(IECs)of 1.14–1.65 mmol·g^(-1).The PEEKK-DIm OH 92% AEM shows high hydroxide conductivity(31 m S·cm^(-1)),suitable water uptake(94%)and acceptable swelling ratio(39%)at 60°C.In addition,the PEEKK-DIm OH AEMs possess good thermal and alkaline stability.The maximum power density(46.16 mW·cm^(-2))of fuel cell prepared with PEEKK-DIm OH 92%AEM as exchange membrane and ionomer is much higher than that with commercial AHA membranes.All the above results indicate that the PEEKK used in this study is a promising AEM matrix material for alkaline fuel cells.