A Functional Monomer to Synthesize Sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone) with Sulfonic Acid Group in the Pendant Side Chain

A functional monomer which enables the synthesis of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) polymer with the sulfonic acid group in the pendant side chain has been successfully developed. 1, 3-propane sultone was used as the model compound to introduce the side chain moiety in the monomer. The above sulfonated monomer (0.50 mol) along with 4, 4'-difluorobenzophenone (0.50 mol) were reacted with bisphenol-A (1.0 mol) to obtain the SPEEK polymer with the sulfonic acid group in the pendant side chain. All the intermediates and the SPEEK polymer were characterized using H-1-NMR. The SPEEK polymer is expected to have improved mechanical and electrical properties for PEM fuel cell application. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 123: 3331-3336, 2012