The present invention provides a method of preparing an amine-functionalized (e.g. amine-terminated) polyaryletherketone polymer, or imide- or sulphone-copolymer thereof and amine-protected analogs thereof, said method comprising the step of polymerizing a monomer system in a reaction medium comprising a capping agent comprising NR.sub.2, NRH or a protected amine group.

The present specification relates to a block polymer and a polymer electrolyte membrane comprising the same, a membrane-electrode assembly comprising the polymer electrolyte membrane, a fuel cell comprising the membrane-electrode assembly, and a redox flow battery comprising the polymer electrolyte membrane.

A method for the preparation of a poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) includes: preparing the PEEK by aromatic nucleophilic substitution in the presence of: a) particulate sodium carbonate (Na.sub.2CO.sub.3), wherein said particulate sodium carbonate has a particle size distribution as follows: D.sub.9045 m and D.sub.90250 m and D.sub.99.5710 m, wherein said particle size distribution is measured by mechanical sieving in accordance with ASTM E 359-00 (reapproved 2005), wherein said measurement is based on the mechanical separation of various fractions on a series of superimposed sieves which are superimposed by descending order of opening mesh of 1000 m, 500 m, 250 m, 180 m, 125 m, 90 m, 63 m, and 45 m; and b) potassium carbonate (K.sub.2CO.sub.3) in an amount ranging from 0.001 to about 0.05 mol K/mol Na.

Aspects of the present disclosure generally describe polyarylether ketones and methods of use. In some aspects, a composition includes one or more polymers of formulae (I), (II), or (III): ##STR00001##

The present invention relates to an ion conducting polymer including a partially branched block copolymer; a method of preparing the same; an ion conductor including the ion conducting polymer; an electrolytic membrane including the ion conducting polymer; a membrane-electrode assembly comprising the electrolytic membrane, and a battery comprising the same; and a separation membrane for a redox flow battery including the ion conducting polymer, and a redox flow battery comprising same. Specifically, the partially branched block copolymer includes: a first block including a hydrophilic first polymer; a second block derived from a hydrophobic second polymer having two or more reactive groups respectively on its both ends, in such a way as to form branching points forming side branches on a main chain; and optionally a third block including a hydrophobic third polymer. The ion conducting polymer in the form of a partially branched block copolymer can prepare a polymer membrane having improved conductivity and superior physical properties such as tensile strength elongation at break, etc., while having the same or similar ion-exchange capacity (IEC), percentage water absorption and/or degree of dimensional change compared to conventional ion conducting polymers in the form of linear block copolymers. Because of such outstanding physical properties, the polymer membrane can be used as a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell, and a redox flow battery comprising the same as a separation membrane can exhibit outstanding cell performance and maintain high discharge charge capacity retention rate even when repeatedly charged and discharged several times.

An anion exchange resin having a hydrophobic unit with divalent hydrophobic groups bonded to each other via an ether bond, the divalent hydrophobic groups being composed of one aromatic ring, or being composed of a plurality of aromatic rings which are bonded to each other via a divalent hydrocarbon group, carbon-carbon bond or the like; and a hydrophilic unit having divalent hydrophilic groups bonded to each other via carbon-carbon bond, the divalent hydrophilic groups being composed of one aromatic ring, or being composed of a plurality of aromatic rings which are bonded to each other via a divalent hydrocarbon group or carbon-carbon bond, the aromatic ring or at least one of the aromatic rings having an anion exchange group are bonded via carbon-carbon bond.

A composite polymer electrolyte membrane includes a composite layer of an aromatic hydrocarbon-based polymer electrolyte and a fluorine-containing polymer porous membrane, wherein a ratio (O/F ratio) of an atomic composition percentage of oxygen O (at %) to an atomic composition percentage of fluorine F (at %) on an outermost surface of the fluorine-containing polymer porous membrane as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is 0.20 or more to 2.0 or less, and the aromatic hydrocarbon-based polymer electrolyte in the composite layer forms a phase separation structure.

The present invention describes a process for preparing a poly(aryl ether ketone) by reacting a nucleophile with 4,4-difluorobenzophenone (4,4-DFBP) that is improved through the use of 4,4-DFBP that meets one or more particular purity conditions. Also described are improved poly(aryl ether ketone) produced using the invention 4,4-DFBP. Amounts of 2,4-difluorobenzophenone (2,4-DFBP), 4-monofluorobenzophenone (4-FBP), chlorine, and monochloromonofluorobenzophenone in 4,4-DFBP are discussed.

The present invention provides a method of preparing an amine-functionalized (e.g. amine-terminated) polyaryletherketone polymer, or imide- or sulphone-copolymer thereof and amine-protected analogues thereof, said method comprising the step of polymerizing a monomer system in a reaction medium comprising a capping agent comprising NR.sub.2, NRH or a protected amine group.

An anion exchange resin having a hydrophobic unit with divalent hydrophobic groups bonded to each other via an ether bond, the divalent hydrophobic groups being composed of one aromatic ring, or being composed of a plurality of aromatic rings which are bonded to each other via a divalent hydrocarbon group, carbon-carbon bond or the like; and a hydrophilic unit having divalent hydrophilic groups bonded to each other via carbon-carbon bond, the divalent hydrophilic groups being composed of one aromatic ring, or being composed of a plurality of aromatic rings which are bonded to each other via a divalent hydrocarbon group or carbon-carbon bond, the aromatic ring or at least one of the aromatic rings having an anion exchange group are bonded via carbon-carbon bond.