In-Situ Cross-linked Polymer Electrolyte Membranes from Thermally Reactive Oligomers for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

The present article describes a novel method of preparing the sulfonated polysulfone-based PEMs for DMFC, which are excellent in film quality, proton conductivity, methanol impermeability and mechanical properties. No depression in film quality or difficulty in film preparation is observed, even though sulfonated group of the PEMs are kept as high as 70 mol %. Allyl-terminated cooligo-PESs containing the organic sulfonate groups were solvent-cast into films and then thermally treated for cross-linking. Cross-linked sulfonated polysulfone-based PEMs gave unprecedented reduction of methanol cross-over and high ionic conductivity through in-situ thermal polymerization and cross-linking of telechelic sulfonated sulfone oligomers during a membrane preparation.