Mechanically Reinforced Anion-Exchange Composite Membrane with Improved Interface Integrity for Water Electrolysis.

Abstract

Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) is promising for low-cost hydrogen production, but its progress is limited by the weak mechanical strength and structural instability of polymer membranes. Here, a PPS-PBP/PVA composite membrane was developed using a polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) mesh as the mechanical scaffold, poly(biphenyl piperidinium) (PBP) as the ion-conducting polymer, and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as an interfacial binder. The membrane shows significantly enhanced tensile strength and puncture resistance, reduced swelling, and improved interfacial integrity. The optimized PPS-PBP/PVA (10 wt%) membrane delivers 6 A cm^-2 at 2.16 V in 1 M KOH at 80 °C and maintains stable operation for 500 h at 1 A cm^-2 with only a slight voltage increase. The results demonstrate that reinforcement coupled with interface regulation is an effective approach to constructing robust and durable composite membranes for AEMWE.