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Proton Conducting Polysulfone Ionomers Carrying Sulfoaryloxybenzoyl Side Chains
Author(s) -
Lafitte Benoît,
Puchner Mario,
Jannasch Patric
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/marc.200500391
Subject(s) - polysulfone , side chain , polymer chemistry , potassium carbonate , materials science , nucleophilic substitution , membrane , polymer , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , biochemistry
Summary: Novel proton conducting ionomers have been prepared by attaching pendant sulfonated aromatic side chains to polysulfone. Lithiated polysulfone was first reacted with 4‐fluorobenzoic acid chloride to introduce 4‐fluorobenzoyl side chains to the polymer main chain. Next, the activated fluoro groups were replaced by 4‐sulfophenoxy or 7‐sulfo‐2‐naphthoxy in a potassium carbonate‐mediated nucleophilic substitution reaction. This reaction proceeded under full conversion and the degree of substitution was easily controlled by the degree of lithiation in the first step. Membranes based on ionomers carrying one sulfophenoxybenzoyl unit per polymer repeat unit reached a proton conductivity exceeding 30 mS · cm −1 at 120 °C under immersed conditions.Structures of sulfophenoxybenzoyl polysulfone and sulfonaphthoxybenzoyl polysulfone.