Twisted Poly(<i>p</i>-terphenyl-<i>co</i>-<i>m</i>-terphenyl)-Based Anion Exchange Membrane for Water Electrolysis
Shuhuan Zhang, Wenli Ma, Lin Tian, Defang Kong, Qingqing Zhu, Fanghui Wang, Hong Zhu
Abstract
In order to improve the mechanical and water electrolysis performance of anion exchange membranes (AEMs), we adjusted the ratio between p -terphenyl and m -terphenyl to balance the backbone conformation, which gives it a better suitability for a better combination with cations. The results showed that poly( m -terphenyl- co - p -terphenyl)-based AEMs have excellent mechanical properties. Among them, the m - p -TP-40-BOP-ASU membrane has the highest tensile strength and elongation at break (75.72 MPa and 16.07%). The ionic conductivity reaches 137.14 mS cm –1 at 80 °C owing to the fact that efficient ion-conducting channels are formed by well-balanced molecular structures. The current density of the m - p -TP-40-BOP-ASU membrane reached 1.96 A cm –2 (1 M KOH aq, 2.0 V and 60 °C). After testing for 112 h under a current density of 500 mA cm –2, the voltage increased by 102 mV compared to the initial electrolysis voltage. All results have shown that m - p -TP- x -BOP-ASU has excellent electrolysis performance and electrochemical durability and has a promising application prospect in AEM water electrolyzers.