Diels-Alder poly(phenylene)’s are highly amorphous and rigid polymers with elevated thermochemical and mechanical stability that have been under consideration for numerous applications. The materials have exhibited surprisingly high flexibility due to meta- catenation and twisting conformations around the backbone. In this study a physical, thermal, and gas transport analysis is reported for a series of functionalized poly(phenylene)’s as a function of ion content and counter ion (Cs+, Na+, Mg2+, Al3+). All materials were thermally stable up to 552 °C, except for those with the aluminum counterion attributed to high acidity. Mechanical properties increased with decreasing ion content but increasing ion valency. The permeability, solubility, diffusivity and selectivity data for He, H2, O2, CO2, N2, and CH4 obtained for these membranes is correlated to specific volume, degree of functionalization, counterion size, and gas kinetic diameter and condensability. Of particular interest is an observed increase in the solubility of oxygen and decrease in carbon dioxide with increasing ion content. The materials display a wide range of permeabilities and gas selectivity's, resulting in excellent tune-ability.

Sulfonated Diels-Alder poly(phenylene) gas transport phenomena: Effect of chemistry and counterion

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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