A series of silica/poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) anion exchange hybrid membranes are prepared. PPO is modified by bromination, hydroxylation and quaternization in sequence. Subsequent sol-gel reaction with monophenyl triethoxysilane (EPh) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), followed by heat treatment at 120-140 degrees C for different times,yields the hybrid membranes. Results show that the physicochemical properties of the membranes, including ion exchange property, hydrophilicity, OH- conductivity and tensile property, can be easily controlled by adjusting the heating temperature and time. The membranes have proper conductivity (up to 0.0085 S/cm) and favorable tensile properties. The tensile strength (TS) can be higher than 20 MPa and the elongation at break (E-b) is in the range of 5.5-19.5%. Besides, the chemical stability in alkali conditions and thermal stability are comparable to those of anion-exchange membranes based on (partially) fluorinated-polymer. Hence, the hybrid membranes are suitable for potential application in alkaline fuel cells. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.