Improved process for the fabrication of supported membranes by thermal and UV initiated mass polymerization

Abstract

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention encompass a method for the formation of carbonate or bicarbonate anion exchange membrane from a composition comprising one or more of polycyclic olefinic monomers of formula (I) and one or more monomers of formula (III) for forming anion exchange membrane optionally in combination with one or more monomers of formula (II). The method provides for the composition to undergo mass vinyl addition polymerization either under thermal or photolytic conditions and then formed into ionomers on a suitable membrane support. The membrane supports thus formed are suitable as anion exchange membranes for fabricating a variety of electrochemical devices, among others. More specifically, the ionomeric membranes are formed on a variety of supports which contains a variety of quaternized amino functionalized norbornene monomeric units which are lightly crosslinked (less than five mol%). The membranes so formed exhibit very high ionic conductivity of up to

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