Sulfonic acid groups are excellent proton donors and are widely used in proton exchange membranes
[91⇓~93]. However, there are few studies on sulfonated polyarylalkanes proton exchange membranes, on the one hand, because polyarylalkanes were studied later than other polymers, and on the other hand, because it is difficult to introduce sulfonic acid groups into polyarylalkylenes. In 2015, Kim et al. Synthesized polyarylisatin by superacid-catalyzed reaction, and then used the substitution reaction of 3-bromo-1-propanesulfonic acid to graft propanesulfonic acid onto the amide nitrogen of isatin to prepare a series of sulfonated polyarylalkane proton exchange membranes (PPSIBs), as shown in Fig. 12A
[94]. The sulfonation degree of the polymer can be adjusted by controlling the amount of 3-bromo-1-propanesulfonic acid, so that the proton exchange membrane with different IEC can be prepared. The prepared PPSIBs membrane can show better dimensional stability under higher IEC conditions. For example, the IEC of PPSIB50 membrane is 1.29 mmol·g
-1(Nafion211 is 0.90 mmol·g
-1), and its area swelling ratio and thickness swelling ratio are 12.9% and 11.7%, respectively. The authors believe that this is because the polymer membrane has a good microphase separation structure, and most of the water enters the hydrophilic phase region responsible for ion conduction. The high IEC endows the PPSIBs membrane with high proton conductivity, which can reach 121.7 mS·cm
-1 at 80 ° C/90% RH. Ding Jianning et al. prepared a series of polymer membranes (MFxDPy-PS and HFxDPy-PS) containing fluorene ring and isatin in the main chain by the ring-opening reaction of 1,3-propanesultone, as shown in Fig. 12b
[95]. The existence of fluorene ring and isatin group makes the main chain structure of the polymer membrane very rigid. The area swelling ratio of these polymer films was less than 20% at 80 ° C. Kim et al. Prepared a sulfonated polyarylisatin proton exchange membrane (SPP) by introducing sulfonic acid groups into the backbone of polyarylisatin using the sulfonation reaction of chlorosulfonic acid, as shown in Figure 12c
[96]. The degree of sulfonation of SPP membrane can be controlled by adjusting the amount of chlorosulfonic acid. The thermal decomposition temperature of SPP membrane can reach 250 ℃. In addition, the water uptake of SPP films ranged from 31.8% to 62.5%, and the area and thickness swelling ratios ranged from 13.7% to 26.9% and 7.9% to 14.4%, respectively. The polymer membrane has a good microphase separation structure, and the water content in the hydrophobic phase region which plays a mechanical supporting role is very small, so the polymer membrane has good dimensional stability. The proton conductivity of SPP membrane can reach 88.6 mS·cm
-1 at 80 ℃/90% RH. Xu Tongwen et al. Synthesized polyoxyxanthene through the superacid-catalyzed reaction between diphenolic hydroxyl monomer and 2,2,2-trifluoroacetophenone, and then sulfonated it with chlorosulfonic acid to prepare sulfonated polyoxyxanthene proton exchange membranes (SPX-HFP and SPX-BP)
[97]. These polymer films have excellent dimensional stability, and their volume swelling ratios are all less than 10% at 80 ° C. Bae et al. Synthesized polyarylalkanes containing halogenated hydrocarbons in the side chain through a superacid-catalyzed reaction, replaced the halogen atoms with potassium thioacetate, and then converted the thioacetate group into a sulfonic acid group with 3-chloroperbenzoic acid (mCPBA) to prepare a new sulfonated polymer membrane material, as shown in Figure 12d
[98]. Because the hydrophilic sulfonic acid group is modified to the end of the alkyl side chain, the hydrophilic sulfonic acid group can be separated from the hydrophobic main chain to form a hydrophobic phase region for providing mechanical support and a hydrophilic phase region for conducting protons, the obtained polymer membrane has good oxidation resistance stability, mechanical properties and dimensional stability. In 2023, Yang Hui et al. Synthesized Poly (arylalkane) (FLx-BPy) containing rigid fluorene ring in the main chain by superacid catalytic reaction, and similarly, a series of sulfonated poly (arylalkane) polymer membrane Poly(FLx-BPy)-SO
3H were prepared by the reaction of potassium thioacetate and 3-chloroperbenzoic acid (mCPBA) with alkyl halide
[99]. The molecular characteristics of the combination of the rigid main chain and the flexible disulfonic acid terminated side chain endow the polymer membrane with a typical microphase separation structure, so that the polymer membrane has excellent chemical stability and proton conductivity. The Poly(FL60-BP40)-SO
3H membrane has a high proton conductivity of 202 mS·cm
-1 at 80 ° C, and the power density of its assembled fuel cell exceeds that of 2.46 W·cm
-2. The sulfonation method is relatively simple, and can directly synthesize the target polymer by using the precursor of the anion exchange membrane, thereby providing a new way for the development of the sulfonated polymer proton exchange membrane. Jannasch et al. Used p-terphenyl, perfluoroacetophenone and acetophenone to prepare Px membrane materials through superacid catalytic reaction, and then carried out selective and quantitative thio-oxidation process on pentafluorophenyl to prepare sulfonated polyarane SPx
[100]. Polymers with different pentafluorophenyl contents can be obtained by adjusting the molar ratio of perfluoroacetophenone and acetophenone in the polymerization process, and then thio-oxidation is performed at the para-position of the pentafluorophenyl group to obtain polymer membrane materials with different degrees of sulfonation, as shown in fig. 12e. When the SPx film was immersed in Fenton's reagent at 80 ℃ (3%H
2O
2, 2 ppm Fe
2+),1 h), there was no mass loss of the polymer film, and there was no change in the NMR spectrum, and the polymer film was damaged after 24 H. The authors believe that the absence of heteroatom bonds in the main chain structure of SPx is the reason for its high antioxidant stability. Moreover, the high IEC of these polymers contributes to the high proton conductivity, and the proton conductivity of SP100 membrane (IEC=1.83 mmol·g
-1) can reach 260 mS·cm
-1 at 120 ℃ under fully hydrated conditions. However, polyarylalkanes are not easily brominated or chloromethylated because they often contain electron-withdrawing groups in the main chain structure. Therefore, it is difficult to design such molecules into comb-shaped molecules with microphase separation behavior. In 2022, Jannasch et al. Prepared polyarylalkane polymers containing bromoethyl groups by superacid-catalyzed reaction, then grafted polypentafluorostyrene side chains with bromoethyl groups as the initiation site of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), and finally prepared sulfonated polyarylalkanes with comb structure by thio-oxidation reaction at the para-position of pentafluorophenyl group
[101]. The degree of sulfonation of the polymer can be controlled by adjusting the grafting density or length of the polypentafluorostyrene side chain, so that proton exchange membranes with different IECs can be obtained. To evaluate the antioxidant stability of the prepared membrane, the S64-10-1.80 membrane was soaked in Fenton's reagent (3%H
2O
2, 2 ppm Fe
2+) at 80 ° C, and then the NMR spectra were examined after different time. It was found that the intensity of the fluorine signal peak in the pentafluorophenyl group of the side chain decreased by 70% after 1 H, and the signal peak disappeared after 5 H, while the signal peak of the hydrogen in the benzene ring of the main chain did not change. This indicates that only the side chain has been degraded, while the all-carbon backbone containing the aryl group remains structurally intact. In 2022, Liu Peinian et al. Prepared three sulfonated polyarylalkanes (SP1-3) with different structures by the reaction of sodium phenolate and pentafluorophenyl para-fluorine, as shown in Figure 12f
[90]. The prepared polymer film has excellent dimensional stability, and its swelling ratio is up to 12. 9% ± 3.1% at 80 ℃/100% RH, which is significantly lower than that of Nafion 212 (35. 5% ± 4.3%).