Chemically inert, mechanically tough, cationic metallo-polyelectrolytes were conceptualized and designed as durable anion-exchange membranes (AEMs). Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of cobaltocenium-containing cyclooctene with triazole as the only linker group, followed by backbone hydrogenation, led to a new class of AEMs with a polyethylene-like framework and alkaline-stable cobaltocenium cation for ion transport. These AEMs exhibited excellent thermal, chemical and mechanical stability, as well as high ion conductivity.
Keywords: anion-exchange membranes; ion conductivity; microphase separation; polyelectrolytes; polymerization.
© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.