Synthesis and characterizations of anion exchange organic–inorganic hybrid materials based on poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO)

A series of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO)-based organic–inorganic hybrid materials for anion exchange were prepared through sol–gel process of polymer precursors PPO–Si(OCH3)3. PPO–Si(OCH3)3 were obtained from the reaction of bromomethylated PPO with 3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane (A1110). These polymer precursors then underwent hydrolysis and condensation with additional A1110 to generate hybrid materials. The reaction to produce polymer precursors was identified by FTIR; while FTIR, TGA, XRD, SEM, as well as conventional ion exchange capacity (IEC) measurements were conducted for the structures and properties of the prepared hybrids. TGA results show that this series of hybrid materials possess high thermal stability; XRD and SEM indicate that the prepared hybrid materials are amorphous and the inorganic and organic contents show good compatibility if the ratio between them is proper. The IEC values of the hybrid materials due to the amine groups range from 1.13 mmol/gBPPO (material i) to 4.80 mmol/gBPPO (material iv).