Thermally stable hydrocarbon-based anion exchange membrane and ionomers

Patent · Tue Apr 30 04:00:00 EDT 2024

OSTI ID:2542117

Lee, Sangwoo; Bae, Chulsung; Trant, Carrie Lynn

An anion exchange membrane is composed of a copolymer of 1,1-diphenylethylene and one or more styrene monomers, such as 4-tert-butylstyrene. The copolymer includes a backbone substituted with a plurality of ionic groups coupled to phenyl groups on the backbone via hydrocarbyl tethers between about 1 and about 7 carbons in length. High-temperature conditions enabled by these copolymers enhance conductivity performance, making them particularly suitable for use in anion exchange membranes in fuel cells, electrolyzers employing hydrogen, ion separations, etc. The properties of the membranes can be tuned via the degree of functionalization of the phenyl groups and selection of the functional groups, such as quaternary ammonium groups. Several processes can be used to incorporate the desired ionic functional groups into the polymers, such as chloromethylation, radical bromination, Friedel-Crafts acylation and alkylation, sulfonation followed by amination, or combinations thereof.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• Assignee: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY)
• Patent Number(s): 11,969,723
• Application Number: 17/901,985
• OSTI ID: 2542117
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English