title: Imidazolium Cations with Exceptional Alkaline Stability: A Systematic Study of Structure-Stability Relationships.
abstract: Highly base-stable cationic moieties are a critical component of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) in alkaline fuel cells (AFCs); however, the commonly employed organic cations have limited alkaline stability. To address this problem, we synthesized and characterized the stability of a series of imidazolium cations in 1, 2, or 5 M KOH/CD3OH at 80 °C, systematically evaluating the impact of substitution on chemical stability. The substituent identity at each position of the imidazolium ring has a dramatic effect on the overall cation stability. We report imidazolium cations that have the highest alkaline stabilities reported to date, >99% cation remaining after 30 days in 5 M KOH/CD3OH at 80 °C.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-1301, United States.
authors.forename: Kristina M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Hugar
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-1301, United States.
authors.forename: Henry A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Kostalik
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-1301, United States.
authors.forename: Geoffrey W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Coates