Preparation and characterization of sulfonated poly(phenylene)s membranes containing conjugated moiety via nickel catalyzed carbon–carbon coupling polymerization

•We synthesized sulfonated polyphenylene containing conjugated structure.•We controlled the degree of sulfonation by BCDPE monomer.•Increasing sulfonation level increases proton conductivity.•Membranes showed good performance with high proton conductivity.

A series of sulfonated polyphenylene membranes (SPBCDPEs) containing conjugated tetraphenylethylene moieties were synthesized via Ni(0) catalyzed polymerization, and subsequent sulfonation with concentrated sulfuric acid. These membranes showed improved performance in ion exchange capacity, water uptake, proton conductivity, and thermal stability over Nafion 211® membranes. The membranes' thermal properties were investigated by thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and also surface morphologies were assessed by atomic force microscope (AFM). SPBCDPEs may have applications as fuel cell membranes due to excellent proton conductivity.

Graphical abstractSulfonated carbon–carbon structured copolymers (SPBCDPEs) are described: A series of sulfonated polyphenylene membranes (SPBCDPEs) containing conjugated tetraphenylethylene moieties were synthesized via Ni(0) catalyzed polymerization, and subsequent sulfonation with concentrated sulfuric acid. The proposed polymer membranes, without ether linkages, demonstrated good chemical stability, proton conductivity, and solubility in aprotic organic solvents.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide