We designed and synthesized a poly(ether imide) (PEI) membrane that has good chemical and mechanical stabilities. Alkalized PEI (A-PEI) membrane was fabricated by solution casting of chloromethylated PEI (CM-PEI) followed by quaternization and alkalization. The chemical structure of the synthesized polymers was verified by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 NMR) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Physiochemical properties of the membrane such as ion exchange capacity, water uptake, and swelling ratio were investigated. The membranes with a high degree of chloromethylation (DC) exhibited elevated hydroxide ion conductivity in range of 6.7-44.2 mS/cm at 90 degrees C under 100% relative humidity (RH). The hydrophilic-hydrophobic phase separation was verified by atomic force microscope (AFM) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. Chemical stability was evaluated by measuring the durability of membranes while they were soaked in oxidative and alkaline solutions at 60 degrees C for 200 h. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.