Reinforced Poly(arylene quinuclidinium) Membranes for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

Tao Wang; Meng-Xiang Ma; Wei-Jie Chen; Yun-Fei Zuo; Hai-Bing Wei; Yun-Sheng Ding

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3450-3

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Reinforced Poly(arylene quinuclidinium) Membranes for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2025-12-03

- Reinforced Poly(arylene quinuclidinium) Membranes for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 43, Issue 12, Pages: 2386-2394(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
  b.Anhui Polyrocks Hydro-friend Technology Co., Ltd., Anqing 246005, China
  c.Anhui Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials and Devices, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
- Author bio：
  
  hbwei@hfut.edu.cn (H.B.W.)
  dingys@hfut.edu.cn (Y.S.D.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3450-3
  CLC：
- Received：12 August 2025，
  
  Accepted：05 September 2025，
  
  Online First：12 November 2025，
  
  Published：15 December 2025
- Accepted：
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Wang, T.; Ma, M. X.; Chen, W. J.; Zuo, Y. F.; Wei, H. B.; Ding, Y. S. Reinforced poly(arylene quinuclidinium) membranes for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 2386–2394

Tao Wang, Meng-Xiang Ma, Wei-Jie Chen, et al. Reinforced Poly(arylene quinuclidinium) Membranes for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(12): 2386-2394.
Wang, T.; Ma, M. X.; Chen, W. J.; Zuo, Y. F.; Wei, H. B.; Ding, Y. S. Reinforced poly(arylene quinuclidinium) membranes for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 2386–2394 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3450-3.

Tao Wang, Meng-Xiang Ma, Wei-Jie Chen, et al. Reinforced Poly(arylene quinuclidinium) Membranes for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(12): 2386-2394. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3450-3.

摘要

An e-PTFE-reinforced poly (arylene quinuclidinium) membrane has been fabricated to preserve its intrinsic alkaline stability while reducing hydrogen permeability and enhancing mechanical durability. The resulting R-PTPQui membrane exhibits a current density of 4.9 A cm

−2

at 2.0 V and demonstrates a durability of 500 h in anode noble metal-free water electrolyzers.

Abstract

Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) synergize the kinetic merits of alkaline systems

zero-gap configurations a

nd compatibility with non-noble metal catalysts

offering a promising pathway toward green hydrogen production. Nevertheless

practical exploitation was hindered by critical challenges: inferior alkaline stability

insufficient mechanical integrity

and detrimental hydrogen crossover of anion exchange membranes (AEMs)

which compromise both device durability and operational safety. Here

we engineered a porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE)-reinforced poly(arylene quinuclidinium) membrane that enhances AEM mechanical robustness

prevents stress-induced rupture

and suppresses hydrogen crossover during electrolyzer operation. Specifically

the reinforced poly(arylene quinuclidinium) membrane (R-PTPQui) exhibited a tensile strength of 56 MPa and an elongation at break of 55%. Moreover

it effectively reduced hydrogen permeation in the electrolyzer

achieving an extremely low H

-to-O

(HTO) value of 0.44 vol% at 0.1 A·cm

−2

. The R-PTPQui-based electrolyzer achieved a high current density of 4.9 A·cm

−2

at 2.0 V and a Faradaic efficiency of 98.6% using a non-precious anode catalyst. These advances significantly strength the compatibility of poly(arylene quinuclidinium)-based AEMs for industrial-scale green hydrogen generation.

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