Structures and properties of highly sulfonated poly(arylenethioethersulfone)s as proton exchange membranes

A series of sulfonated poly(sulfonium cation) polymers, sulfonated poly(arylenethioethersulfone)s (SPTES)s possess up to two sulfonate groups per repeat unit, and can be easily converted into corresponding acid form of the SPTES polymer to form a tough, ductile, free-standing, pinhole-free membranes with excellent mechanical properties. The SPTES polymers exhibit good water affinity and excellent proton conductivity due to the high water uptake. Proton conductivities between 100 and 300 mS/cm (at 65 °C, 85% relative humidity) were observed for the SPTES polymers with 50 mol% (SPTES-50) to 100 mol% (SPTES-100) of sulfonated monomer. The evaluation by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and thermomechanical analysis (TMA) showed that the SPTES polymers have excellent thermal stability, mechanical properties, and dimensional stability, making them excellent candidates for the next generation of proton exchange membranes (PEMs) in fuel cell applications.