Design and Synthesis of Robust Cationic Polymers for Stable and Efficient Anion-Exchange Membranes

用于稳定高效阴离子交换膜的鲁棒阳离子聚合物的设计与合成

• 批准号: 1809658
• 负责人: Kevin Noonan
• 金额: $ 44.5万
• 依托单位: Carnegie-Mellon University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-08-01 至 2022-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1809658&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Design; Synthesis; Robust; Cationic; Polymers

Professors Kevin Noonan and Tomasz Kowalewski of Carnegie-Mellon University are supported by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry (MSN) Program of the Division of Chemistry to design and prepare new charged polymers that function as ion-exchange membranes. These membranes are sandwiched between the negative and positive compartments of fuel cells and are considered a key component of these energy conversion devices. A variety of consumer related products rely on fuel cells for clean energy generation. New cationic (positively charged) polymer membranes are synthesized using appropriate controlled polymerization techniques. Their chemical, electrochemical, and mechanical stability are assessed under fuel cell operating conditions. One of the main objectives of this work is to make durable membranes which can withstand the harsh chemical environments of a fuel cell device. If successful, fuel cells with these newly synthesized polymer membranes will not rely on precious metals for energy generation, which represents a significant economic advantage. Students from diverse backgrounds are trained and involved in this project. A "Fuel Cell Project" with educational material and demonstrations is being developed. The project is made available on the web and used to educate junior high school students about renewable energy life cycles. In this project, the PIs are exploring the chemical and electrochemical stability of cationic polymers in the presence of hydroxide ions. The information obtained is used to build robust membranes for ion-transport in fuel cells. While transport of protons under acidic conditions is well established, hydroxide transport in solid polymer electrolytes under thermal and electrochemical stress is still a significant challenge. The development of next-generation robust, long-lasting and inert cationic materials for shuttling these caustic anions requires a combination of synthesis and characterization. Controlled polymerization techniques are critical for building the polymer materials. A battery of characterization techniques is used to evaluate their structure, stability and morphology. Specifically, X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy, transport/device measurements and computational chemistry are used to probe the properties of these membranes. Transport and mechanical properties are tailored by synthesizing well-defined polymers and block copolymers. These materials are used to establish relationships between ion transport and morphology of novel ionomers. This work provides the basis for subsequent material design to optimize anion transport. If successful, the project will result in stable and efficient anion exchange membranes (AEMs) for alkaline fuel cells that do not need precious metals for proper function.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

卡内基梅隆大学的Kevin Noonan和Tomasz Kowalewski教授在化学系的大分子、超分子和纳米化学（MSN）项目的支持下，设计并制备了具有离子交换膜功能的新型带电聚合物。这些膜夹在燃料电池的正负隔室之间，被认为是这些能量转换装置的关键组成部分。各种消费相关产品依靠燃料电池清洁能源发电。采用适当的控制聚合技术合成了新的阳离子（带正电）聚合物膜。在燃料电池运行条件下评估其化学、电化学和机械稳定性。这项工作的主要目标之一是制造耐用的膜，可以承受燃料电池设备的恶劣化学环境。如果成功的话，使用这些新合成的聚合物膜的燃料电池将不再依赖贵金属来发电，这代表了显著的经济优势。来自不同背景的学生接受培训并参与该项目。一项“燃料电池项目”的教育材料和示范正在开发中。这个项目可以在网上找到，用来教育初中生关于可再生能源生命周期的知识。在这个项目中，pi正在探索阳离子聚合物在氢氧化物离子存在下的化学和电化学稳定性。获得的信息被用于制造燃料电池中离子传输的坚固膜。虽然质子在酸性条件下的输运已经很好地建立起来，但在热和电化学应力下固体聚合物电解质中的氢氧化物输运仍然是一个重大挑战。开发下一代坚固耐用的惰性阳离子材料来穿梭这些苛性离子需要合成和表征的结合。控制聚合技术是构建高分子材料的关键。一系列的表征技术被用来评估它们的结构、稳定性和形态。具体来说，x射线散射、原子力显微镜、传输/设备测量和计算化学被用来探测这些膜的性质。通过合成定义明确的聚合物和嵌段共聚物来定制输送和机械性能。这些材料被用来建立离子传输和新型离聚体形态之间的关系。这项工作为后续材料设计提供了优化阴离子传输的基础。如果成功，该项目将为碱性燃料电池提供稳定高效的阴离子交换膜（AEMs），而碱性燃料电池的正常功能不需要贵金属。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Suppressing Water Uptake and Increasing Hydroxide Conductivity in Ring-Opened Polynorbornene Ion-Exchange Materials via Backbone Design

• DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.2c00297
• 发表时间: 2022-10
• 期刊: ACS Applied Polymer Materials
• 影响因子: 5
• 作者: Jamie C. Gaitor;Megan Treichel;T. Kowalewski;Kevin J. T. Noonan

Anion-exchange membranes derived from main group and metal-based cations

• DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.124811
• 发表时间: 2022-04
• 期刊: Polymer
• 影响因子: 4.6
• 作者: Megan Treichel;Jamie C. Gaitor;C. Birch;Jessica L. Vinskus;Kevin J. T. Noonan

Degradation of Organic Cations under Alkaline Conditions

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.0c02051
• 发表时间: 2021-01-01
• 期刊: JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
• 影响因子: 3.6
• 作者: You, Wei;Hugar, Kristina M.;Coates, Geoffrey W.
• 通讯作者: Coates, Geoffrey W.

Exploring the Effects of Bulky Cations Tethered to Semicrystalline Polymers: The Case of Tetraaminophosphoniums with Ring-Opened Polynorbornenes

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c00422
• 发表时间: 2020-10-13
• 期刊: MACROMOLECULES
• 影响因子: 5.5
• 作者: Treichel, Megan;Womble, C. Tyler;Noonan, Kevin J. T.
• 通讯作者: Noonan, Kevin J. T.