Novel imidazole‐grafted hybrid anion exchange membranes based on poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) for fuel cell applications

Novel organic–inorganic hybrid membranes, based on poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide), have been prepared through 1,2‐dimethylimidazole functional groups and double crosslinking agents including 3‐glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane and tetraethyl orthosilicate by sol–gel process for the purpose of improving the conductivity and alkaline resistance. The structure of membranes was characterized using Fourier‐transform infrared spectra, ¹H NMR, and X‐ray diffraction. The physico‐chemical properties of all membranes were shown in ion exchange capacity, water uptake, stability, and conductivity. Membranes with OH^– conductivity up to 0.022 at 25 °C and 0.036 S cm^?1 at 80 °C. Promisingly, the chemical stability of the resulting membranes remains unchanged after storage in 2 mol dm^?3 KOH at 25 °C over at least 10 days. The tensile strength can be higher than 30 MPa, and the elongation at break (Eb) is in the range 6.68–10.84%. Hence, this hybrid membrane can be potentially applied in alkaline fuel cells. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46034.