Preparation and properties of novel sulfonated poly(p-phenylene-co-aryl ether ketone)s for polymer electrolyte fuel cell applications

► Sulfonated poly(p-phenylene-co-aryl ether ketone) were prepared by Ni(0)-catalyzed copolymerization. ► The anisotropic proton conductivity ratio for the membranes was about 0.85-0.92. ► SPP-co-PAEK(3/1) showed OCV of 0.94 V and output of 0.85 W/cm2 (90 °C, 82/68 %RH). ► They exhibited good fuel cell performance on a 300 h durability test.