Functionalization of polyketone (PK) with 1-(3-aminopropyl)piperidine for the preparation of anion exchange membranes

Abstract

In this work, we report the synthesis of a new anion exchange membrane based on a Polyketone (PK) functionalized with 1-(3-aminopropyl)piperidine through a solvent-less Paal-Knorr reaction with a carbonyl (CCO %) conversion of 36%. A one-step cast-quaternization process by using 1,4-diiodobutane was performed that yielded a homogeneous membrane in a highly reproducible way. The obtained membranes showed good performances in terms of thermal resistance (up to 250°C), water uptake of 21% and ion exchange capacity of 2 meq/g, which support their use as anion exchange membranes for water electrolysers (AEM-WE).