Chain Entanglement Research Articles

Rheology of polyborazanes with various molecular structures and dynamic transformation process

AbstractThe molecular structure of polymer precursors significantly affects their rheological properties, thermal stability, and ceramic conversion rates. For the first time, we revealed the effects of polyborazane molecular structure on rheology and molecular configuration dynamic transformation process. The systems studied are polyborazane precursors with rigid six‐membered ring structures. We synthesized precursors with different molecular structures, including polyborazanes with varying degrees of branching and molecular chain flexibility, and investigated how molecular structure affects viscosity under different conditions of temperature, time, and shear rates. The results indicate that decreasing the branching degree enhances thermal stability and reduces both zero‐shear viscosity and infinite‐shear viscosity. Increasing the flexibility of molecular chains notably reduces infinite‐shear viscosity, while having minimal impact on zero‐shear viscosity and thermal stability. In conclusion, the ideal molecular structure should aim to increase the flexibility of the molecular chains while maintaining a certain degree of branching, such as a dendritic molecular configuration. By correlating viscosity data with molecular structure, we constructed a dynamic transition process of molecular chain entanglement, disentanglement, and crosslinking. This research is essential for understanding polymer rheology and its applications in industry, particularly in designing and synthesizing precursor structures for producing various ceramic fibers through Polymer‐Derived Ceramics.

Do Entangled Polymer Chains Reptate?

AbstractNeutron spin echo spectroscopy of entangled polymer melts [M. Zamponi, et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2008, 112, 16220], and of tracer diffusion of short polymer chains in highly entangled polymer melt [M. Zamponi et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2021, 126, 187801.] and [M. Kruteva et al. Macromolecules 2021, 54, 11384] found the center‐of‐mass mean‐square displacements at shorter times are subdiffusive, heterogeneous, non‐Gaussian, and cooperative. These properties contradict the assumption of reptation within the tube in the tube‐reptation (TR) model, but are in accord with the predictions from the many‐chain cooperative dynamics in the theory of Guenza. The inadequacy of the TR model revealed by the microscopic experiments and theory motivates the author to reexamine previously published data of diffusion of entangled polymer chains from experiments and simulations used to test the TR model. The results reported in this study lead to the conclusion that the key predictions of the TR model are at variance with experimental and simulation data. The cause lies in the reptation hypothesis contradicting the cooperative nature of entangled chain diffusion proven by its dynamics being isomorphic to cooperative diffusion in other materials. The Coupling Model has predictions consistent with the cooperative diffusion properties in interacting materials [Prog. Mater. Sci., 2023, 139, 101130.]. Applied to the entangled polymers, the predictions successfully explain the data, especially those contradicting the TR model. Thus, diffusion of entangled polymer chains is a cooperative many‐chain process in having the universal properties of many‐body cooperative diffusion established in many other interacting materials, and the reptation hypothesis is unwarranted.

(Thermo)mechanical and chemical characteristics of photochemically crosslinked acrylates from bio‐ and fossil‐based origin

AbstractThe acrylates with oligomers and monomers from (partially) bio‐based feedstock become available at (semi‐)industrial scale, which can be processed through photochemical crosslinking for applications in coatings, additive manufacturing, electronics, or inks. Although fossil‐ and bio‐based acrylates may have a similar chemical composition, it requires good understanding of processing and structure–property relationships as minor changes in microstructure may strongly alter the performance. A comparative study on mechanical properties and chemical structure of bio‐ and fossil‐based acrylates with different functionalities and backbone structures reveals higher ductility of bio‐based acrylates, in relation with a more complex organization of the intrinsic molecular structure. The latter is confirmed by mechanical testing and visco‐elastic characteristics (dynamic mechanical analysis) yielding lower stiffness and higher dampening of bio‐based acrylates, in parallel with a lower glass transition temperature (differential scanning calorimetry). The complex molecular arrangements include a nanoscale morphology with ordered structure (X‐ray diffraction), conformational changes (infrared spectroscopy), and a residual high‐molecular weight fraction (size exclusion chromatography). The visco‐elastic calculations indicate only 4% to 5% lower crosslinking density and around 10% higher mean molar mass of the polymer chains segments between chemical crosslinks and trapped chain entanglements, which explain the unique structure and performance of bio‐based acrylates.

Comparison and investigation of H-bond assisted reusable PU adhesives with high shear strength

Hot-melt adhesive (HMA) is commonly used in industrial manufacturing due to its ease of use. However, the direct factors that affect shear strength have been unclear in recent years, making it difficult to prepare hot melt adhesives with high shear strength, which are mostly lower than 6 MPa. In this study, three types of polyurethane HMAs, differing in the position of H-bond motifs, ureidopyrimidinone (UPy), were synthesized and characterized, the most central factor for shear strength, Young's modulus, was firstly found out and proved. Side-chain UPy provides better flexibility and more chain entanglement. The lap shear strength of SPU was about 13.48 MPa, which was the highest shear strength of PU HMA, and remained 73.4 % even after 4 cycles. Compared to the other two samples, the side-chain motifs improved the possibility of forming hydrogen bonds with adherends and increased chain mobility. This led to a more efficient wetting process and strengthened Young's modulus directly, enhancing adhesive property incomparably. This work provides a satisfactory method for achieving high shear strength in HMA.

Dramatically Accelerating II-I Crystal Phase Transition of Polybutene‑1 by In Situ Incorporation of H-Shape Long-Chain-Branching Structures.

This communication reports an effective strategy helping address the long-troubling melt processing issue of isotactic polybutene-1 (i-PB) caused by its extremely slow II-I crystal phase transition. The solution lies in a facile synthesis of i-PB containing H-shape long-chain-branching structures (LCB-i-PB) by applying a so-called ω-alkenylmethyldichlorosilane copolymerization-hydrolysis (ACH) chemistry to butene-1 polymerization with Ziegler-Natta or metallocene catalysts. It is evident that the H-shape LCB structures effectively enhance chain entanglements of i-PB and induce an over-the-board acceleration of the overall melt crystallization process including nucleation, form II crystallization, and form II-form I phase transition. As i-PB usually requires up to a week to reach equilibrium of the II-I phase transition, it is found that with LCB-i-PB such a transition is almost finished within as short as 24 h to even higher degrees.

Chemical stability of anion exchange membranes for alkaline fuel cells and water electrolysers: Experiment, multi-dimensional modeling and hybrid simulations

The unstable nature of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) has hindered the progress of alkaline fuel cells and water electrolyzers. Density functional theory (DFT) can explore the correlation between the structure and properties of model compounds. However, theoretical explorations of AEMs remain immensely insufficient owing to the complexity of modeling the realistic solution system which caused by multi-dimensional parameters such as polymer chain entanglement, steric hindrance, and migration of ions. In this study, molecular dynamic simulation was utilized to obtain the multi-dimensional parameters of polyelectrolytes, which were considered when calculating the degradation energy barrier by DFT, thus leading to more accurate results and optimizing the conventional DFT calculations. Combined with the computational works, pyridinium functionalized polyolefin and polyether sulfone were synthesized to verify the feasibility of the simulation scheme. This optimized scheme fills the gap in the DFT calculations scale and is easy to extend to other types of AEMs, which help design the chemically stable AEMs and promote the development of alkaline fuel cells and water electrolysers.

Strength and toughness of semicrystalline polymer fibers: Influence of molecular chain entanglement

The mechanical properties of oriented semicrystalline polymers fibers are mainly determined by the semicrystalline morphology in which lamellar crystals and disordered amorphous layers are in staggered arrangement. As a stress transmission channel, amorphous entanglement network can affect the strength and toughness of fiber together with crystalline phase. In this study, the relationship between mechanical properties and amorphous entanglement of oriented poly (l-lactic acid) fibers was clarified by studying the cyclic loading characteristics. Based on the Haward-Thakray model of semi-crystalline polymers, the energy contributions of the crystalline phase and the amorphous phase are separated. During the deformation of oriented fiber, the crystal will be broken under the action of tight entanglement network, and the entanglement network can transfer stress well without failure under the action of straight chain. Therefore, although the crystalline phase and the amorphous phase jointly bear the strength, the toughness and fracture behavior mainly affected by the entangled network of the amorphous phase.

Fully Polymeric Conductive Hydrogels with Low Hysteresis and High Toughness as Multi‐Responsive and Self‐Powered Wearable Sensors

AbstractHigh mechanical strength, excellent toughness, low hysteresis, and robust resilience are of great importance for stretchable conductive hydrogels (CHs) to heighten their reliabilities for self‐powered sensing applications. However, it still remains challenging to simultaneously obtain the mutually exclusive performances. Herein, an intrinsically conductive and adhesive hydrogel is fabricated by one‐step radical polymerization of acrylamide (AAm), three hydroxy groups together clustered‐N‐[tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]acrylamide (THMA), and cationic 1‐Butyl‐3‐Vinylimidazolium Bromide (ILs) dissolved in core‐shell structurally dispersed PEDOT:PSS (PP) solution. Owing to abundant clustered hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions between PILs chains and anionic PSS shells, and polymer chain entanglements, the CHs feature superior mechanical properties with a high tensile strength (0.25 MPa), fracture strain (1015%), fracture toughness (1.22 MJ m‐3), fracture energy of 36.5 kJ m‐2 and extremely low hysteresis (5%), and display excellent resilience and fatigue resistance. As a result, the CHs indicate excellent sensing properties with a gauge factor up to 10.46, a broad sensing range of strain (1‐900%) and pressure (0.05‐100 kPa), and fast responsive rate, thus qualifying for monitoring reliably and accurately large and tiny human movements in daily life. Moreover, the hydrogel‐assembled triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) exhibit excellent and stable electrical output performances, which are greatly promising in self‐powered flexible wearable electronics.

Crystallization of Polymers with a Reduced Density of Entanglements

Since methods for reducing macromolecule entanglements have been developed, it has become possible to better understand the impact of polymer chain entanglement on the crystallization process. The article presents basic information about the disentangling of macromolecules and the characterization of the degree of entanglement. The basic knowledge of polymer crystallization was also presented. Then, it was discussed how polymers crystallize during their disentangling. Non-isothermal and isothermal crystallization experiments using disentangled polymers, and for comparison using entangled polymers, are described in more detail. The influence of disentangling on both nucleation and crystal growth is highlighted. It is also shown how the crystallization of polymers changes when macromolecules re-entangle.

Integrated construction of stretchable supercapacitor with outstanding deformation stability and flame retardancy

The fast development of wearable electronics requires urgently stretchable energy storage devices, but conventional stretchable energy-storage devices suffer from poor dynamic deformation stability. The key is to create a new construction strategy of "electrode/electrolyte interface integration". Herein, we have proposed a clever strategy that combines layer-by-layer electrospinning with a self-selected vapor-phase polymerization (VPP) method to assemble the integrated stretchable supercapacitors (ISSCs). Furthermore, the interface stability enhancement mechanism is revealed through experimental and theoretical simulations, showing that the synergistic effect of molecular chain entanglement and mechanical meshing endows excellent anti-deformation stability of ISSCs. As a result, the as-assembled ISSCs deliver excellent dynamic deformation electrochemical stability with 99.5 % capacitance retention after 500 stretching cycles at strain and outstanding flame retardancy (limiting oxygen index (LOI) up to 48.1 % at a film thickness of only 0.22 mm). The innovative integrated design strategy endows a systematic construction plan for the scalable fabrication of wearable organic energy storage devices.

Compatibilization of Polyamide 6/Cyclic Olefinic Copolymer Blends for the Development of Multifunctional Thermoplastic Composites with Self-Healing Capability.

This study investigated the self-healing properties of PA6/COC blends, in particular, the impact of three compatibilizers on the rheological, microstructural, and thermomechanical properties. Dynamic rheological analysis revealed that ethylene glycidyl methacrylate (E-GMA) played a crucial role in reducing interfacial tension and promoting PA6 chain entanglement with COC domains. Mechanical tests showed that poly(ethylene)-graft-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MAH) and polyolefin elastomer-graft-maleic anhydride (POE-g-MAH) compatibilizers enhanced elongation at break, while E-GMA had a milder effect. A thermal healing process at 140 °C for 1 h was carried out on specimens broken in fracture toughness tests, performed under quasi-static and impact conditions, and healing efficiency (HE) was evaluated as the ratio of critical stress intensity factors of healed and virgin samples. All the compatibilizers increased HE, especially E-GMA, achieving 28.5% and 68% in quasi-static and impact conditions, respectively. SEM images of specimens tested in quasi-static conditions showed that all the compatibilizers induced PA6 plasticization and crack corrugation, thus hindering COC flow in the crack zone. Conversely, under impact conditions, E-GMA led to the formation of brittle fractures with planar surfaces, promoting COC flow and thus higher HE values. This study demonstrated that compatibilizers, loading mode, and fracture surface morphologies strongly influenced self-healing performance.

“Like binding a book”: Interfacial improvement of pre-melted ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene by pulse vibration molding

Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is widely used in industrial, military, and civilian applications owing to its excellent properties. However, the high entanglement degree of UHMWPE melt leads to great difficulties in diffusion and crystallization, which causes poor interfacial strength and mechanical properties of pre-melted UHMWPE, restricting its high-quality processing and high-value recycling. To this end, we propose a rapid interface stitching technology with a pulsed vibration force driving free volume homogenization and chain segment orientation. For the first time, pulse vibration molding (PVM) is applied for the hot-pressing of pre-melted UHMWPE, successfully realizing the interface stitching and product strengthening. Compared with those of the convention molding (CM) samples at 180 °C, the interfacial adhesive fracture toughness of the adhesive samples processed using PVM is increased by 105.9 % and the work of tension of the recycled samples processed using PVM is also increased by 49.09 %, respectively. The fracture strength of the PVM recycled samples at 180 °C reaches 91.77 % of that of the pure samples and the yield strength is also higher, which significantly enhances the recycling of UHMWPE. The characterization results of the interfacial molecular chain entanglement and crystallization show that PVM strengthens the molecular chain diffusion and induces crystallization by promoting the orientation of chain segments, especially at the interface. Consequently, we believe that the proposed technology can play a significant role in the UHMWPE processing methods that involve surface healing.

Reducing hydroxide transport resistance by introducing high fractional free volume into anion exchange membranes

The efficiency of ion transport in solid polyelectrolytes is significantly hindered by tight polymer chain entanglement compared to that in liquids. In this study, a series of hyperbranched poly(aryl piperidinium) anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with 1,3,5-triacetylbenzene as a branching point were synthesized. The hyperbranched structure results in weaker chain entanglement and a larger interchain correlation distance, leading to a higher fractional free volume, thereby greatly reducing ion transport resistance. Consequently, a remarkably higher OH− conductivity of the as-prepared hyperbranched AEM (296 mS cm−1) is achieved compared to that of non-hyperbranched AEMs (180 mS cm−1). Furthermore, the hyperbranched AEMs exhibit excellent fuel cell and water electrolysis performance, with a peak power density of 1.53 W cm−2 in AEMFCs and a current density of 1 A cm−2 at a voltage of 2 V in AEMWEs, respectively.

Rapid Preparation Triggered by Visible Light for Tough Hydrogel Sensors with Low Hysteresis and High Elasticity: Mechanism, Use and Recycle-by-Design.

Hydrogels have emerged as promising candidates for flexible devices and water resource management. However, further applications of conventional hydrogels are restricted due to their limited performance and lack of a recycling strategy. Herein, a tough, flexible, and recyclable hydrogel sensor via a visible-light-triggered polymerization is rapidly created. The Zn2+ crosslinked terpolymer is in situ polymerized using g-C3N4 as the sole initiator to form in situ chain entanglements, endowing the hydrogels with low hysteresis and high elasticity. In the use phase, the hydrogel sensor exhibited high ion conductivity, excellent mechanical properties, fast responsiveness, high sensitivity, and remarkable anti-fatigue ability, making it exceptionally effective in accurately monitoring complex human movements. At the end-of-life (EOL), leveraging the synergy between the photodegradation capacity of g-C3N4 and the adsorption function of the hydrogel matrix, the post-consumer hydrogel is converted into water remediation materials, which not only promoted the rapid degradation of organic pollutants, but also facilitated collection and reuse. This innovative strategy combined in situ entangling reinforcement and tailored recycle-by-design that employed g-C3N4 as key blocks in the hydrogel to achieve high performance in the use phase and close the loop through the reutilization at EOL, highlighting the cost-effective synthesis, specialized structure, and life cycle management.

Unraveling the main issues of direct sample printing and sample cutting from a sheet of tensile test samples for characterization of Material Extrusion components

AbstractThis research investigates the influence of varied sample manufacturing strategies on the mechanical properties of Material Extrusion (MatExt) Additive Manufacturing components. Two procedures were investigated: direct sample printing and sample cutting from a sheet. The thickness of the samples was also varied to determine possible differences in the measurements performed. Through a comprehensive analysis involving mechanical testing, optical microscopy, and IR thermography during deposition, the study revealed significant implications of the manufacturing strategy on the thermal history and polymer chain entanglement. The results indicated that Young’s modulus and the tensile strength produced through direct printing differed from that measured on the samples made through sample cutting. At the same time, the elongation at rupture was less influenced by the manufacturing strategy. The sample thickness also influenced the fracture strength; the thicker samples were characterized by a strength of 27.9 MPa, which was higher by 23% than that of the extracted samples.The observed differences in mechanical behavior underscore the critical role of sample manufacturing strategy in determining the final mechanical properties of upright samples. Results shed light on the complex interplay between manufacturing protocols and component performance in MatExt applications.

Effect of rheological behaviors of polyacrylonitrile grafted sericin solution on film structure and mechanical properties

Sericin protein possesses excellent biocompatibility, antioxidation, and processability. Nevertheless, manufacturing large quantities of strong and tough pure regenerated sericin materials remains a significant challenge. Herein, we design a lightweight structural sericin film with high ductility by combining radical chain polymerization reaction and liquid-solid phase inversion method. The resulting polyacrylonitrile grafted sericin films exhibit the ability to switch between high strength and high toughness effortlessly, the maximum tensile strength and Young's modulus values are 21.92 ± 1.51 MPa and 8.14 ± 0.09 MPa, respectively, while the elongation at break and toughness reaches up to 344.10 ± 35.40 % and 10.84 ± 1.02 MJ·m−3, respectively. Our findings suggest that incorporating sericin into regenerated films contributes to the transformation of their mechanical properties through influencing the entanglement of molecular chains within polymerized solutions. Structural analyses conducted using infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction confirm that sericin modulates the mechanical properties by affecting the transition of condensed matter conformation. This work presents a convenient yet effective strategy for simultaneously addressing the recycling of sericin as well as producing regenerated protein-based films that hold potential applications in biomedical, wearable, or food packaging.

Ultrafast-degradable and super-elastic PBAT/polybutylene succinate foam with stable cellular structure and enhanced thermal insulation

PBAT is considered a leading eco-friendly polymer known for its exceptional biodegradability and mechanical properties. However, the production of high-performance PBAT foam remains challenging owing to poor foaming ability and intrinsic shrinkage. Herein, this study presents a flexible approach to prepare super-elastic and ultrafast-degradable PBAT/polybutylene succinate (PBS) foams achieved by microcellular foaming with CO2 & N2 as co-blowing agents. Firstly, the SEM, FTIR, as well as XPS spectra, confirmed a uniform and miscible distribution of PBS. Further, the crystallization kinetics and rheological analysis demonstrated that PBS effectively promoted crystallization and molecular chain entanglement. Thus, the PBAT/PBS foam exhibited significantly refined cellular structure, higher expansion ratio of 20.3, and restricted shrinkage of less than 4 %. More importantly, compared with neat PBAT foam, the compression strength of PBAT/PBS foam was dramatically enhanced by 47.7 %, and the energy loss coefficient was pronouncedly reduced by 58.8 % under the expansion ratio of 15.0. Meanwhile, the PBAT/PBS foam showed a thermal conductivity as low as 35.9 mW/m·K, enhanced hydrophobicity, and an exceptionally rapid degradation ratio. Considering the eco-friendly and flexible characteristics of this process, anti-shrinkage and ultrafast-degradable PBAT/PBS foams with improved mechanical and thermal insulation performance present promising prospects to replace the nondegradable polymer foams.

Rapid preparation of high strength, high stretchability, transparent, self-healing conductive elastomers for strain sensors by photo-initiated copolymerization of two novel polymerizable deep eutectic solvents

Deep eutectic ionic conductive elastomer (DEICE) has become the focus of the development of new flexible ionic conductors due to its green and efficient preparation process and excellent electrical properties, which has been widely used in wearable devices, nanogenerators, 3D printing and other hot fields. However, due to the limitations of the existing polymerizable deep eutectic solvents (PDES) types, it is still challenging to rapidly prepare DEICE with excellent tensile properties and strength. In this study, we prepared DEICE by rapid in-situ photoinitiated copolymerization of two novel PDES: 2-carboxyethyl acrylate (CEA)/Choline chloride (ChCl) and N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)acrylamide (HEAA)/ChCl. The CEA-type PDES constitutes a soft segment, and the HEAA-type PDES constitutes a hard segment. It was found that the DEICE with a ratio of CEA type PDES to HEAA type PDES of 1:1 (monomer mass ratio) exhibits both excellent fracture strength and stretchability (5.08 MPa, 1050 %) due to the appropriate strong hydrogen bond crosslinking of the hard segment and the chain entanglement of the soft segment. In addition, the elastomer also has excellent optical properties (average transmittance of visible light >90 %), good conductivity (6.42 × 10−4 S/m), self-healing ability, high sensitivity (GF = 2.22), excellent linearity sensing ability (R2 = 0.999) and self-healing sensing ability. The sensor constructed by the elastomer can recognize human motions of various fineness, which proves its potential as a wearable device. Finally, the two new types of PDES proposed in this work also greatly broaden the existing PDES types, which provides the possibility for the future preparation research of DEICE with higher performance.

Epoxidized natural rubber grafted polyacrylamide and their polypyrrole composites for functional application

Fabrication of containing renewable material epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) graft polyacrylamide (PAM) functional composites are promising exploration for the treatment of organic dye and heavy metal. This research developed a hydrogel consisting of epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) and acrylamide (AM) via a one-pot free radical polymerization that can be exploited as an absorbent for organic dye removal. The ungrafted ENR in the ENR grafted polyacrylamide (ENR-g-PAM) hydrogel system through physical chain entanglement can form a secondary network, which is beneficial to improvements of the comprehensive properties of the hydrogel. The resultant hydrogel shows better mechanical properties due to the entanglement structure that is crucial for stress transfer and dissipation. The mass ratio of ENR and AM was varied and explored to ensure a superior ratio. Methylene blue (MB), a cationic dye, is often utilized to determine adsorption behaviors. The ENR/AM weight ratio at 3:2 hydrogel (60ENR) has a better swelling ratio (up to 336%). More importantly, 60ENR exhibited a better adsorption value of 766.4 mg/g for MB. The experimental data can be also better depicted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic and the Freundlich models, revealing adsorption processes were governed by chemical and multilayer mechanisms. In addition, 7% polypyrrole@ENR-g-PAM (7% PPy@ENR-g-PAM) hydrogel fabricated by a simple mixture method can effectively adsorbed Cr (VI) with a high adsorption value of 284.4 mg/g when pH=2 and be also exploited as a pressure sensor with better durability. Based on the above study results, the ENR-g-PAM hydrogel was expected to play a key role in fields such as dye treatment, heavy metal ion adsorption, and pressure sensor.

Macromolecular crosslinked poly(aryl piperidinium)-based anion exchange membranes with enhanced ion conduction for water electrolysis

Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) are essential in AEM water electrolysis, providing a cost-effective alternative to proton exchange membranes through the use of noble metal-free electrocatalysts. However, the “trade-off” between conductivity and dimensional stability in AEMs still hinders the development of high-performance water electrolysis. Herein, partially functionalized poly(phenylene oxide) (QPPO) is combined with poly(aryl piperidinium) (QPAP) to fabricate novel crosslinked AEMs (C-QPAP-x-QPPO), addressing the conductivity-stability issue. The crosslinked C-QPAP-x-QPPO AEMs show lower water swelling compared to their non-crosslinked QPAP membrane, mainly due to increased chain entanglements from the crosslinking process. C-QPAP-2-QPPO AEM exhibits a high conductivity of 139.4 mS cm−1 at 80 °C, attributed to the well-defined microphase separation structure. In addition, C-QPAP-2-QPPO AEM demonstrates exceptional alkaline durability, retaining over 86% conductivity and showing slight degradation after 2400 h in 1 M KOH at 60 °C. A water electrolyzer using the C-QPAP-2-QPPO achieves a maximum current density of 1440 mA cm−2 at 80 °C (2.0 V). These findings demonstrate the potential applications of crosslinked C-QPAP-x-QPPO AEMs in electrochemical devices.