• Membrane Journal
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.355-362
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• 2005

A PFCB-containing biphenylene ether polymer was synthesized and sulfonated using chlorosulfonic acid and then cast into membranes from their solutions for fuel cell applications. Sulfonation reactions were carried out by changing the molar ratio of chlorosulfonic acid and the PFCB-containing biphenylene ether polymer under fixed time and temperature. The resulting sulfonated polymers showed different sulfonation degree (SD), ion exchange capacity (IEC), and water uptake. With the increment of the content of chlorosulfonic acid, the SD, IEC, water uptake of the sulfonated polymer membranes increased. The ion conductivity of the sulfonated PFCB-containing biphenylene ether polymers was compared with that of Nafion 115.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.1367-1372
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• 2010

Copoly(ether-ether-ester)s having flexible side chain were synthesized by polycondensation. Intrinsic viscosities of polymers were between 0.42 and 0.78dl/g in tetrachloroethane. The polymer structures were investigated by $^1H$-NMR and FT-IR, and thermal and liquid crystalline properties of polymers were measured by DSC, TGA, POM and XRD. As results of investigations, synthetic copolymers exhibited lower melting temperature than homopolymers. When the biphenylene units contents in copolymer were more than 60 mol %, nematic mesophase was observed, and the mesophase of synthetic polymers was dependent upon biphenylene content.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.137-143
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• 2010

A series of partially fluorinated, sulfonated poly(biphenylene-co-sulfone)ether containing perfluorocyclobutane(PFCB) groups were prepared for fuel cell applications through three synthetic steps: synthesis of trifluorovinylether-terminated monomers, thermal cycloaddition and post-sulfonation. Two kinds of trifluorovinylether-terminated monomers were synthesized and statistically copolymerized via thermal cycloaddition to obtain a series of polymers containing 20-60 mol% of biphenyl units(PBS-X). The post-sulfonation of PBS-X was carried out using chlorosulfonic acid(CSA) to obtain copolymers with various sulfonation levels(SPBS-X). All the synthesized compounds, monomers and polymers were characterized by $^1H$-NMR, $^{19}F$-NMR and FT-IR. It was confirmed that the ion exchange capacity(IEC), water uptake and ion conductivity of SPBS-X increased with the increment of sulfonated biphenyl units. Particularly, SPBS-60 showed higher ion conductivity compared to Nafion$^{(R)}$-115 at 25~80 $^{\circ}C$.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.191-200
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• 2012

New composite membranes were manufactured by impregnating post-sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone)s containing perfluorocyclobutane (PFCB) groups into porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films. Two kinds of post-sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone)s with two different monomer ratios (sulfonable biphenylene monomer : non-sulfonable sulfonyl monomer = 6 : 4, 4 : 6) were first prepared through three synthetic steps: synthesis of trifluorovinylether-terminated monomers, thermal cycloaddition polymerization and post-sulfonation using chlorosulfonic acid (CSA). The composite membranes were then prepared by adjusting the concentrations (5~20 wt%) of the resulting copolymers impregnated in the PTFE films. The water uptake, ion exchange capacity (IEC) and ion conductivity of the composite membranes were characterized and compared with their unreinforced dense membranes and Nafion. All the synthesized compounds, monomers and polymers were characterized by $^1H$-NMR, $^{19}F$-NMR and FT-IR and the composite membranes were observed with scanning electron micrographs (SEM).