Quaternary
ammonium functionalized poly(arylene ether ketone)s (QA-PAEKs) with
mass-based ion exchange capacities (IECg) ranging from
1.12 to 2.88 mequiv g–1 were synthesized via condensation
polymerization of a newly designed highly benzylmethylated bisphenol,
subsequent bromination of the benzylmethyl groups, and then quaternization
with trimethylamine. The quaternary ammonium groups were densely and
selectively anchored on the bis(3,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-3,5-dimethylphenylmethane
residues in the QA-PAEK backbone. 1H and 13C
nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were
used to confirm the chemical structure of the samples. The morphology,
mechanical properties, thermal stabilities, water uptake, swelling
ratio, and bromide (Br–) conductivity of the QA-PAEK
membranes were investigated. It was found that QA-PAEK samples had
much higher Br– conductivity than a randomly functionalized
quaternary ammonium Radel (QA-Radel) membrane at similar IEC, which
was attributed to the existence of distinct ion clusters in the QA-PAEK
materials as evidenced by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The
Br– conductivity of the QA-PAEK membranes increased
with increasing quaternary ammonium ion concentration, water uptake,
temperature, and conducting volume fraction. The results indicated
that ion clustering was important for enhanced ion conductivity, and
QA-PAEKs are promising anion exchange membranes for use in energy
and water treatment applications.