Kelly M Meek, Jacob R. Nykaza, Y. Elabd
Apr 19, 2016
Citations
1
Influential Citations
66
Citations
Journal
Macromolecules
Abstract
The development of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with high alkaline chemical stability, as well as high ion conductivity, is crucial to the implementation of long-lasting, low-cost (nonplatinum) alkaline fuel cells (AFCs). In this study, 12 polymerized ionic liquids (PILs) were synthesized with various backbones and cations (backbones: ethyl methacrylate, undecyl methacrylate, undecyl acrylate, styrene; covalently attached cations: butylimidazolium, trimethylammonium, butylpyrrolidinium). 1H NMR spectroscopy was employed to determine the alkaline degradation mechanisms and extent of degradation at high pH (in D2O) at 60 °C for 1 week (168 h). For the butylpyrrolidinium cation, ethyl and undecyl methacrylate backbones proved to be more stable than the undecyl acrylate backbone. Styrene (vinylbenzene) functionalized with butylpyrrolidinium cation surpassed the stability of the benchmark benzyltrimethylammonium (BTMA) cation, where the former possessed the highest overall observed chemical stability with 0...