International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol.43, No.26, 11803-11810, 2018
Synthesis and characterization of fluorosulfonyl imide isatin biphenylene block copolymer for PEMFC
In this study, A fluorosulfonyl imide-containing precursor derived from fluorosulfonyl isocyanate was synthesized and grafted on poly (isatin-biphenylene) random and block copolymers. The carbon-carbon structured poly (isatin biphenylene)s were prepared by super acid catalyzed polyhydroxyalkylation reaction with istain, 2,2'-biphenyl, 2,2'-dihydroxybiphenyl. A fluorosulfonyl imide-containing precursor was prepared from chlorosulfuric acid and fluorosulfonylisocyanate. Fluorosulfonyl imide group have higher acidity than sulfonic acid group, therefore the membranes containing fluorosulfonyl imide groups instead of sulfonic acid groups were studied. These membranes showed slightly higher performance of proton conductivity, low water uptake, and good dimensional stability. The structure of the synthesized polymer was investigated by H-1 NMR spectroscopy. Surface morphologies will also be assessed by atomic force microscope (AFM). Microphaseseparated block copolymers are preferred over random copolymers. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.