Hybrid anion exchange membrane of hydroxyl-modified polysulfone incorporating guanidinium-functionalized graphene oxide

Incorporating nanofillers is an effective method to balance conductivity and mechanical strength of anion exchange membranes (AEMs). In this work, a series of AEMs were prepared via embedding guanidinium-functionalized graphene oxide (GGO) into un-quaternized, diethanolamine-modified polysulfone (HPSf). The improved hydrophilicity of HPSf allows for better compatibility between GGO and polymer and also gives higher water uptake, which is beneficial for facilitating ion transport and alleviating hydroxide attack. AEM of HPSf embedding an optimized amount of GGO (0.88 mmol g(-1)) exhibits the highest conductivity of 11 mS cm(-1) at 30 A degrees C, which is 38% higher than that of pristine PSf-GGO membrane. It also possesses excellent anti-swelling stability (9% swelling ratio at 60 A degrees C). When treated with 1 M NaOH at 60 A degrees C for 120 h, HPSf-GGO-25% experienced a conductivity decay by 25%. Our work provides a route to fabrication of hybrid AEMs with improved interface properties and well-balanced conductivity and robustness.