Polyarylene‐Based Anion Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cells

Abstract

AbstractAnion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) is an emerging and promising technology that can help realize a carbon‐neutral, sustainable economy. Also, compared to the proton exchange membrane counterpart, AEMFC can achieve comparable cell outputs with lower costs due to the applicability of non‐platinum group metal electrocatalysts for the reaction on the electrodes’ surfaces. However, the wide application of the AEMFCs has been impeded by the unsatisfactory stability and performance of the hydroxide‐conductive membranes in the past. Recently researchers have made breakthroughs using polyarylene (PA)‐based AEMs. This article summarizes the recent advances of a class of AEMs with aromatic backbone without ether bonds, mainly synthesized by Friedel–Crafts polycondensation. Such PA‐based AEMs showed high chemical/mechanical stabilities and ionic conductivity, and even the fuel cell with those AEMs showed impressive peak power density of up to 2.58 W cm−2. In this concept article, we classify major strategies for making PA‐based AEMs to show the recent trends, highlight synthesis, characterization, and properties, and provide a brief outlook.