A Synthesis and Analysis of Anhydrous Hydroxide Ion Conducting Polymer Electrolytes

This project investigates the synthesis and physical properties of polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (MePEGn where n=3 or 7) based polymer electrolytes. The two polymer electrolytes explored in the experiments were designed from two different MePEG chains that varied in their overall length and degree of polymerization. The first MePEG backbone contained three polymerized ethoxy groups and the second contained seven. Both MePEGn polymers were modified by substituting an imidazolium group in place of the alcohol functional group at the end of the PEG chain. This modification was made to create a polymer electrolyte with an attached positive charge that could facilitate the movement of hydroxide ions. These polymer electrolytes were synthesized in order to study various physical properties, such as ionic conductivity and viscosity, in anhydrous conditions to characterize the viability of the MePEG derivatives as alkaline anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AAEMFCs) polymer electrolyte membranes