General Electric Company

Marianne Elisabeth Harmon

David Roger Moore

Hongyi Zhou

Joyce Hung

Daniel Joseph Brunelle

Hongwei Liu

Daniel Steiger

Hieu Minh Duong

Joseph Anthony Suriano

Ryo Tamaki

Christoph Georg Erben

Joshua James Stone

A polymer electrolyte membrane includes a porous base membrane and electrolytes dispersed within the pores of the base membrane. The electrolytes include metal oxide compounds having acid functionality. A process for making the membrane is also provided. The membrane is compatible, durable, highly conductive, mechanically strong and dimensionally stable.

Polyelectrolyte membranes and methods for making

A composition including a polyarylether copolymer is provided. The copolymer includes a polyarylether backbone; and a sulfonated oligomeric group bonded to the polyarylether suitable for use as a cation conducting membrane. Method of bonding a sulfonated oligomeric group to the polyarylether backbone to form a polyarylether copolymer. The membrane may be formed from the polyarylether copolymer composition. The chain length of the sulfonated oligomeric group may be controlled to affect or control the ion conductivity of the membrane.

Polyarylether composition and membrane

Reactive monomers containing the trifluorovinyloxy group may be copolymerized to form polymers useful as membranes, especially polymer electrolyte membranes for fuel cells. The monomers have the formula ((CFCFO(R))ArX wherein 

Trifluorovinyloxy monomers and polymers

Sulfonated block copolymers that may be used as membranes for fuel cells include sulfonated polyaryletherketone blocks and lightly sulfonated polyethersulfone blocks. The sulfonated polyaryletherketone blocks include structural units of formula and the lightly sulfonated polyethersulfone blocks include structural units of formula wherein

Mixed-sulfonation block copolymers

Sulfonated block copolymer suitable for use as proton exchange membranes for fuel cells comprise sulfonated polyaryletherketone blocks and polyethersulfone blocks. The sulfonated polyaryletherketone blocks comprise structural units of formula the polyethersulfone blocks comprising structural units of formula wherein

Sulfonated polyaryletherketone-polyethersulfone block copolymers

Sulfonated polyethersulfones and polymer compositions comprising sulfonated polyethersulfones and at least one inorganic heteropolyacid are useful as proton exchange membranes for fuel cells. The polyethersulfones include structural units derived from at least one biphenol monomer and a monomer of formula I wherein X is O, S or NR;

Benzimidazole-containing sulfonated polyethersulfones

Novel polyethersulfone compositions have been discovered which incorporate structural subunits derived from sulfonated bis(halophenyl)sulfones, dihydroxy terphenyls, and/or bis(hydroxyphenyl)pyridines. The sulfonated polyethersulfones show promise as materials for use in polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) in fuel cells owing to their high proton conductivities (0.02-0.07 S/cm at 20&#xb0; C. and 100 percent humidity). In addition, a novel unsulfonated thermoplastic polyethersulfone comprising structural subunits derived from a non-sulfonated bis(halophenyl)sulfone bis4-fluorophenyl)sulfone and 4,4'-dihydroxyphenyl-2,6-pyridine (CAS No. 171820-16-9) is disclosed.

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Niskayuna, NY, United States of America

Marianne Elisabeth Harmon