Preparation and Chemical Protective Clothing Application of Sulfonated Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenyleneoxide)

The preparation of chemical protective clothing (CPC) materials with excellent protective performance and physiological comfort have always been a global challenge. The selective permeability of organic matter and water shown by polyelectrolyte membranes in fuel cells and other applications provides ideas for solving this problem. This research focused on sulfonated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (SPPO), a polyelectrolyte membrane material with excellent performance, and carried out different counter-ion substitutions to prepare a series of membrane materials, and their mechanical properties, contact angle, permeability, and selectivity. The performance was tested and compared with Nafion, a typical commercial membrane. The results show that the SPPO membrane has the potential of CPC application and the performance of the membranes can be controlled by the simple method of adjusting the counter-ion exchange of the membrane material.