Highly conductive anion-exchange membrane based on poly(acenaphthylenyl aryl piperidinium) π-π self-assembly

The use of strong intermolecular interaction force to promote the formation of ion transport channels is one of the common methods to increase the conductivity of AEMs. In this work, a series of poly(acenaphthylenyl aryl piperidinium) membranes and ionomer were prepared by ultra-strong acid-catalyzed polymerization. The π-π self-assembly of acenaphthylene monomer promoted the aggregation of piperidinium cation and the formation of efficient ion transport channel, which was confirmed by well aggregated transmission electron micrographs of the ion clusters. Therefore, the prepared membrane had desirable conductivity (173.38 mS cm−1 at 80 °C). Meanwhile, the membrane exhibited excellent alkaline stability (99 % retention of conductivity in 3 M NaOH solution immersed at 80 °C for 1000 h), acceptable dimensional stability (swelling rate 33.9 MPa). The H2/O2 fuel cell assembled based on the prepared QPANTP-20 membrane and ionomer exhibited peak power density of 266 mW cm−2 at 80 °C.