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A Relationship Study of Aromatic Ring Structures; Nanostructure Morphology; and Fuel Cell Performance of Anion Exchange Membranes

delete2026-06-10
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PRE
AI
R
Ramali Chandula Walgama
X
Xinyu Guo
G
Gengyi Zhang
F
Fathy Attia
L
Luis Felipe Caspari Thiele
J
Ju Yeon Lee
H
Heemin Park
S
Sariah Marth
S
Sandip Maurya
Y
Yu Seung Kim
H
Haiqing Lin
H
Hee Jeung Oh
B
Benjamin Paren *
C
Chulsung Bae *
DOI:10.1021/acs.macromol.6c00728delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
The rational design of anion exchange membranes and ionomers is crucial for advancing high-performance, cost-effective anion exchange membrane fuel cells and water electrolyzers. This study systematically investigates the structure–property–performance relationships of a series of polyaromatic anion exchange polymers, including biphenyl (BPN1-100), m- and p-terphenyl (m-TPN1-100, p-TPN1-100), and 9,9-dimethylfluorene (FMN1-100 and FMN2-50) backbones, to elucidate how backbone rigidity and ionic side chain characteristics influence material properties. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements confirmed that while all polymers form nanophase-separated hydrophilic channels, good correlations with ion exchange capacity (IEC) and backbone flexibility were observed. FMN1-100, which has the most rigid nonrotatable aromatic rings in the backbone, exhibited the most well-defined hydrated nanochannels, while m-TPN1-100, which has the lowest IEC and a folded aromatic backbone, exhibited the least uniform nanochannels. The unique differences in the backbone structure also affected the density and gas permeability of polymer membranes. The structurally similar BPN1-100 and FMN1-100 were evaluated as an ionomer catalyst binder in fuel cell tests. A significantly better performing peak power density was obtained from FMN1-100 due to a combination of enhanced gas permeability and minimal π-electron interaction with electrocatalysts. These findings underscore the importance of purposively designing the polymer backbone to tune nanoscale phase-separated morphology and membrane properties.

Journal

Macromolecules cover
Macromolecules
IF:
5.2
Papers:
3.6W
Citations:
9.4W

Organization

S
stevens institute of technology
Scholars:
337
Papers: 208
Citations: 0
R
rensselaer polytechnic institute
Scholars:
7.0K
Papers: 6.5K
Citations: 6
L
los alamos national laboratory
Scholars:
641
Papers: 238
Citations: 0
P
pennsylvania state university
Scholars:
2.8K
Papers: 1.6K
Citations: 0
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