Communication—Electropolymerization of Anion-Conducting Polymer Films

Abstract

We successfully electropolymerize homopolymer and copolymer from vinylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride (VBTMA) and divinylbenzene (DVB) by cyclic voltammetry to form ultra-thin anion-conducting polymer films with significant anion conductance. The morphologies of electropolymerized polymers with different monomer compositions are analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (in situ EIS) is performed to track the electropolymerization (EP) process and film properties. High anion conductance of up to 2 mS is found in the electropolymerized thin films, suggesting that this technique can be suitable for making anion-conducting electrodes for advanced electrochemical devices.