PROTON-CONDUCTING POLYMERIC POLY(ARYLENE ETHER)S WITH PENDANT PHENYL SULFONIC ACIDS

摘要

Disclosed are sulfonated polymers of formula (I) or a salt thereof: wherein X is (a) or (b), R is hydrogen or an organic moiety, n is an integer from 10 to 10,000, p is 1 or 2, and m is 0 or 1 for a particular monomer unit such that the polymer has a degree of sulfonation of 0.50 or greater. Such polymers are useful in proton exchange membranes (PEMs) having high ion exchange capacity with higher proton conductivity than Nafion™, while having lower methanol permeability and lower water uptake than previously disclosed polymers.