Synthesis and characterization of quaternized poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) for anion-exchange membrane

Chloromethylated poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) (CMPPESK) was prepared from poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) (PPESK) using chloromethyl octyl ethers (CMOE) with lower toxicity as chloromethylated regent. CMPPESK was soluble in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and chloroform. Quaternized poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) (QAPPESK) was prepared from CMPPESK by quaternization. QAPPESK had excellent solvent resistance, which was only partly soluble in sulfuric acid (98%) and swollen in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The vanadium redox flow battery (V-RFB) using QAPPESK anion-exchange membrane had better performance with 88.3% of overall energy efficiency.