Invited Talk: Block Copolymers As Anion Exchange Membranes for Alkaline Fuel Cells

Alkaline fuel cells (AFCs) with solid-state hydroxide anion exchange membranes (AEMs) as electrolytes provide significant advantages over proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) due to their facile electrokinetics in alkaline environments, which allows for the use of non-noble metal catalysts. However, long-lasting AFCs require the synthesis of new AEMs that possess high hydroxide conductivity, chemical stability and mechanical robustness. In this study, we report on the synthesis of several new hydroxide conducting block copolymers via the sequential reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization technique. Each of these block copolymers contains both ionic and non-ionic components for hydroxide conductivity and mechanical stability, respectively. The hydroxide conductivity, chemical stability, and mechanical properties of all the block copolymer synthesized will be discussed in relation to the chemistry of the different components in each block copolymer. We will also present a block copolymer that posses high hydroxide conductivity, chemical stability, and mechanical robustness that would be suitable for long-lasting AFC performance.