Enhancing water retention and low-humidity proton conductivity of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) composite membrane enabled by the polymer-microcapsules with controllable hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity

Four kinds of polymer microcapsules (PMCs) with different hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity are synthesized via distillation-precipitation polymerization (polymer microcapsules form by self-crosslinking of monomers/crosslinkers in this process) and incorporated into sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) matrix to prepare composite membranes. To improve the water retention of the PMCs, the hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity of the PMCs is manipulated by regulating the proportion of hydrophilic ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and hydrophobic divinylbenzene (DVB) crosslinkers in the synthesis formula. The hydrophilicity of the PMCs decreases with increasing the content of polyDVB in the PMCs. The four kinds of PMCs exhibit different water retention properties. The PMCs with appropriate hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance (EGDMA: DVB = 1:1) possess the best water retention properties. Incorporation of PMCs into SPEEK matrix enhances the water-retention properties, and consequently increases proton conductivity to 0.0132 S cm−1 under 20% relative humidity, about thirteen times higher than that of the SPEEK control membrane. Moreover, the incorporation of PMCs reduces the activation energy for proton conduction and the methanol permeability of the membranes. This study may be helpful to rational design of excellent water-retention materials.