Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenyleneoxide)(PPO)wasbrominatedundertheconditionsofradicalmechan-
ism andsubsequentlyquaternizedwithtrimethylamine.Flatmembraneswerepreparedbycasting
quaternizedPPO(qPPO)dissolvedinethanolorethanol/dimethylformamidemixtureonaTeflon plate
followedbysolventevaporation.Themembraneswerecharacterizedbytheirdegreeofswellingin
water,ionexchangecapacities(IEC)andionicconductivities.qPPOwithadegreeofquaternizationof
25.5 mol%andwithanionicconductivitiesof10.09S/mand12.34S/m(at50 1C and70 1C, respectively)
wastestedasananion-conductivepolymerbinderinasinglecellalkalinelaboratoryelectrolyzerin
which theanodeandcathodecompartmentswereseparatedwithaheterogeneousanionselective
membrane. ThecathodecontainedPt/carboncatalystbondedwithqPPOsothatPt/qPPOweightratio
was85/15.TheanodecontainedNiCo2O4 spinel catalystwhichwasbondedeitherwithqPPO(spinel/
qPPO weightratios95/5,90/10or75/25)orwithanon-conductingPTFE(spinel/PTFEweightratio85/
15).ItwasfoundthattheapplicationoftheqPPObinderintheanodeleadtohighercurrentdensities
than theapplicationofanon-conductivePTFEbinderatallelectrolyteKOHconcentrations(1–15wt%).
The performanceofalaboratorymembraneelectrolyzerwiththeanodecontainingNiCo2O4 spinel
catalystbondedwithqPPO(spinel/qPPOweightratio75/25)anda1wt%KOHelectrolytewassimilarto
that ofanindustryunitwitha30wt%KOHelectrolyte