Preparation Of Anion Exchange Membranes Research Articles

Recent advances in anion exchange membrane technology for water electrolysis: a review of progress and challenges

AbstractClean energy and environmental pollution are two key concerns of modern society and are pivotal necessities for the economic, social, and sustainable development of the world. Today around 80% of energy is generated using nonrenewable resources and fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) which ultimately results in hazardous global emissions. As a clean substitute for fossil fuels, hydrogen has emerged as a promising and renewable energy resource. Utilization of this energy resource requires the development of active, stable, low‐cost environmentally friendly techniques. Water splitting electrolysis is a method for producing clean and efficient hydrogen using an environmentally benign technique that is currently at its most mature stage. Electrolysis is attracting ever‐increasing attention, as it is a promising electrochemical device for hydrogen production from water due to the high conversion efficiency and relatively low energy input required when compared to thermochemical and photocatalytic methods. This paper will outline the need, performance, and insight of anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer. Recent developments in the design and preparation of AEM. New strategies for activity, stability, and efficiency improvement of AEM. Membrane types, and factors affecting AEM performance in an electrolyzer. This review also discusses the effects, operating characteristics, and energy consumption of electrocatalysts in the AEM electrolyzer. Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) pathways and mechanisms in acidic and alkaline media. This study seeks to provide a detailed overview of recent accomplishments in the field of the hydrogen economy, particularly electrolysis, to inspire further research and development to address the technology's obstacles.

Anion exchange membrane incorporating polymers of intrinsic microporosity for large organic anions

To meet a growing demand for the applications of electro-membrane technologies in the fields related to organic acid, this work attempts to incorporate polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIM) with rigid and twisted structure into the preparation of anion exchange membrane (AEM) and investigates the possible effects of PIM addition on the transport behaviors of bulky organic anions therein. Firstly, molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to optimize the blend ratio between the modified PIM and chloromethylated Polysulfone. Furthermore, performances of as-prepared AEMs with different blend ratios are evaluated in some typical organic salt systems, including sodium lactate, sodium gluconate, and sodium citrate. Results demonstrate that water uptake increases and electrical resistance decreases significantly with increasing PIM loading despite the moderate reductions in ion exchange capacities. For example, a reduction of >50 % in electrical resistance when the PIM fraction increases up to 20 %. Small angle X-ray scattering reveals that these changes appear to be the result of micro-phase separation and increase of internal free volume. Additionally, electrometathesis-based organic acid conversion experiments confirm that the blend AEMs indeed contribute to reduce process energy consumption, for instance, a reduction of up to 23.29 % for the gluconic acid conversion. Although the addition of PIM results in a loss of membrane permselectivity to some extent, the corresponding current efficiency is still acceptable. Incorporation of Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity is worth exploring for the preparation of Bulky Organic Anions-oriented AEM.

Exploring the effects of flexibility of monomers on poly (isatin monomer-co-biphenyl) anion exchange membranes

To investigate the effect of the monomer with different flexibility and rigidity on the random copolymer, we prepare anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with a similar copolymerization ratio containing different monomers. The results show that the introduction of rigid dibenzofuran, moderately flexible diphenyl ether and flexible bibenzyl affects the conformation and morphology of the polymers, further tuning the overall performance of the AEMs. The three random copolymers exhibit better microphase-separated morphology and conductivity than the homopolymer owing to their more twisted conformation. It is found that the incorporation of flexible monomers has an advantage in holding size consistence and flexibility. Overall, the integration of bibenzyl monomer has the most positive impact on the membrane characteristics, the QPIBBP-40 AEM with flexible units possesses the highest OH− conductivity (80 °C, 159.6 mS cm−1) and an excellent mechanical stability (elongation at break: 48.2 %, tensile strength: 15.6 MPa). The wet-stated QPIBBP-40 AEM maintains an inferior swelling ratio (80 °C, 10.8 %), indicating that it possesses good size consistence and ionic conductivity simultaneously. The highest output power density of the QPIBBP-40 AEM based fuel cell is 655 mW cm−2.

Carbazole-Based branched Poly(Aryl Piperidinium) membranes for Ultra-Stable anion exchange membrane fuel cells

In the technological development of anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs), it is crucial to prepare anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with high conductivity and excellent dimensional stability. This study successfully developed highly branched poly(aryl piperidinium) AEMs by introducing 4,4′-bis(N-carbazolyl)-1,1′-biphenyl as branched linker unit into the poly(p-terphenyl piperidinium) backbone. With the introduction of the carbazole group, the plane-conjugated structure and non-rotatable properties are fully utilised, which effectively reduces the entanglement between the polymer backbones and increases the free volume of the AEMs, hence facilitates the construction of an efficient ion transport channel. The branched structure effectively reduces the water uptake of the membrane which leads to improved dimensional stability. The optimized QPCBP-TP-7 membrane exhibited high conductivity, reaching up to 151.88 mS cm−1 at 80 °C, along with excellent mechanical strength (TS = 42.51 MPa, EB = 13.32 %, wet state) and dimensional stability (SR of 22.9 % at 80 °C). Surprisingly, this membrane also exhibited favorable antioxidant properties (retaining over 97.28 % weight after 96 h in Fenton's reagent at 80 °C), and alkaline stability (retaining over 86.81 % efficacy after 1500 h in 5 M NaOH solution at 80 °C). In AEMFCs applications, the QPCBP-TP-7 membrane achieved peak power density (PPD) up to 616 mW cm−2 with the current density is 1330 mA cm−2 at 80 °C (H2-O2) and the QPCBP-TP-7 membrane remained stable and hardly degraded when operated at constant current of 0.1 A cm−2 (80 °C) over 100 h.

Functionalization of polyketone (PK) with 1‐(3‐aminopropyl)piperidine for the preparation of anion exchange membranes

AbstractIn this work, we report the synthesis of a new anion exchange membrane based on a Polyketone (PK) functionalized with 1‐(3‐aminopropyl)piperidine through a solvent‐less Paal‐Knorr reaction with a carbonyl (CCO %) conversion of 36%. A one‐step cast‐quaternization process by using 1,4‐diiodobutane was performed that yielded a homogeneous membrane in a highly reproducible way. The obtained membranes showed good performances in terms of thermal resistance (up to 250°C), water uptake of 21% and ion exchange capacity of 2 meq/g, which support their use as anion exchange membranes for water electrolysers (AEM‐WE).

Preparation of highly conductive anion exchange membranes by introducing dibenzothiophene monomer into the polymer backbone

The poly(aryl piperidinium) backbone has outstanding electrical conductivity and chemical stability, which is ideal for the preparation of anion exchange membranes (AEMs). Hence, in this research we prepared a series of high performance AEMs by introducing electron-rich dibenzothiophene (DBT) monomer into poly(aryl piperidinium) polymer backbone. The larger conjugated surface of the DBT monomer and the presence of heteroatoms facilitated intermolecular interactions between the polymers, which induced the generation of highly efficient ion-transport channels within the membranes, as evidenced by atomic force microscopy (AFM) images. The highest molar addition of DBT monomer, QPDBTTP-25 membrane, showed the highest conductivity (190.90 mS cm−1 at 80 °C) while maintaining robust dimensional stability (swelling ratio was 23.66 % at 80 °C). Owing to the advantages of the poly(aryl piperidinium) polymer backbone, the QPDBTTP-25 membrane also exhibited excellent mechanical properties (tensile strength of 53.03 MPa under fully hydrated condition) and durable chemical stability (conductivity retention remained at 93.2% after being immersed in 2 M NaOH solution at 80 °C for 1500 h). The H2/O2 fuel cell test based on QPDBTTP-25 membrane resulted in a peak power density of 384 mW cm−2 at 80 °C.

Highly Hydrophilic Zirconia Composite Anion Exchange Membrane for Water Electrolysis and Fuel Cells.

To prepare anion exchange membranes with high water electrolysis and single fuel cell performance, an inorganic-organic composite (IOC) strategy with click cross-linked membranes coated with different contents of hydrophilic polar nanozirconia is proposed to fabricate composite membranes (CM) PBP-SH-Zrx. The performance test results showed that the CM PBP-SH-Zr4 not only has good through-plane ionic conductivity (167.7 mS cm-1, 80 °C), but also exhibits satisfactory dimensional stability (SR 16.5%, WU 206.4%, 80 °C), especially demonstrating excellent alkaline stability with only 16% degradation (2 M NaOH for 2200 h). In water electrolysis, the "microgap" between the membrane and catalyst layer (solid-solid interface) is alleviated, and the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) interfacial compatibility (liquid-solid-solid interface) is enhanced. The CM PBP-SH-Zr4 showed the lowest charge transfer resistance (Rct, 0.037 Ω cm2) and a high current density of 2.5 A cm-2 at 2.2 V, while the voltage drop was 0.361 mV h-1 after 360 h of endurance (six start-stop cycles) at 60 °C and 500 mA cm-2, proving a good water electrolysis durability. Moreover, an acceptable peak power density of 0.464 W cm-2 at 80 °C is achieved in a H2/O2 fuel cell with a PBP-SH-Zr4-AEM. Therefore, the IOC strategy can enhance the membrane's comprehensive performance and interface compatibility of MEA and may promote the development of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) for water electrolysis and fuel cells.

Comb-shaped anion exchange membrane with segmented hydrophilic/hydrophobic side chain

A flexible hydrophilic chain segment with ether bonds and a long hydrophobic tail chain with multiple carbon atoms are designed and grafted on the same side of the polymer backbone, which can not only improve the alkaline stability by preventing the benzyl carbon from being attacked by OH-, but also reduce the hydration degree of the membrane, giving it excellent conductivity, alkaline stability and low swelling ratio. These results show that the prepared anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with a hydrophilic chain segment containing 2 ether bonds exhibits the best overall performance. Its ionic conductivity can reach 90.4 mS cm−1 at 80 °C, the swelling ratio is less than 8%, the tensile strength can reach 14.5 MPa, and the elongation at break is 79.0%. Even after being soaked under alkaline conditions for 672 h, the conductivity of the original membrane still remains over 85%. The peak power density of the fuel cell using this AEM can reach as high as 582 mW cm−2. The segmented hydrophilic and hydrophobic side chain proposed in this work provides a novel idea to design the AEM materials and improve the performance of anion exchange membrane fuel cell.

Synergistic effect and ionic conductivity of crosslinked imidazole ionic liquids and piperidine cations on poly(biphenyl-piperidine) anion exchange membranes

In order to prepare anion exchange membranes with good performance, and we prepared ether-free bonded poly(biphenyl-piperidine) anion exchange membranes (CQPBP-M-x, x is degree of crosslinking) by introducing cross-linked imidazolium ionic liquids. The introduction of cross-linked imidazolium ionic liquids increases multiple OH− transport sites and establishes a more pronounced microphase-separated structure with the backbone, while acting synergistically with piperidinium cations, resulting in improved membrane conductivity. Meanwhile, the introduction of an ether-free backbone and the construction of a cross-linked structure could promote the chemical stability of the membrane and effectively inhibit membrane swelling. The prepared cross-linked imidazole ionic liquid poly(biphenyl-piperidine) (CQPBP-M-30 %) membrane exhibited relatively good ionic conductivity (88.03 mS/cm), and low swelling (11.75 %) at 80 °C. The H2–O2 fuel cell performance test conducted at 80 °C without back pressure showed a peak power density of 125.7 mW/cm2. Therefore, it is a worthwhile direction to explore to improve the performance of anion exchange membranes by adopting an ether-free backbone and constructing a cross-linked structure contain multiple cationic groups.

Highly alkaline stability poly(aryl ether piperidinium) anion exchange membranes with partial aryl ether segments

Poly(aryl piperidinium) is considered a promising material for the preparation of anion exchange membranes (AEM) with considerable conductivity and excellent chemical stability for anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFC). In this research, we report a range of biphenyl ether-containing poly(aryl ether piperidinium) unlike previous ones to increase the conductivity of AEMs and the peak power density (PPD) of fuel cells, and the alkaline stability of ether bonds in the polymer backbone is demonstrated. All of the poly(aryl ether piperidinium) membranes possess comparable mechanical properties and inherent viscosity derived from the high activity of biphenyl ethers in superacid-catalyzed reactions, which means that large-width AEMs can be prepared. The data demonstrated that the poly (ether p-terphenyl piperidinium) (QPEPTpi-35) exhibited a conductivity of 140 mS cm−1 at 80 ℃ compared to the original poly (p-terphenyl piperidinium) (QPTPpi) membrane owning to optimized micro-phase separation structure and higher water uptake. Meanwhile, QPEPTpi-35 membrane conductivity retention is greater than 85% after immersion in 1 M KOH for 2000 h at 80 ℃. Moreover, the PPD of the QPEPTpi-35 membrane reaches 1.2 W cm−2 in H2/O2 fuel cells, which is much higher than that of the QPTPpi membrane (0.51 W cm−2). The durability of MEA prepared by the catalyst-coated substrate (CCS) method manifests over 20 h under 0.2 A cm−2 at 60 °C.

Design of tropinium-functionalized anion exchange membranes for acid recovery via diffusion dialysis process

Diffusion dialysis (DD) process utilizing anion exchange membranes (AEMs) is an environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient technology. From acidic wastewater, DD is needed for acid recovery. This research reports the development of a series of dense tropinium-functionalized AEMs via solution casting method. Fourier Infrared transform (FTIR) spectroscopy verified the successful preparation of AEMs. The developed AEMs exhibited a dense morphology, featuring 0.98–2.42 mmol/g of ion exchange capacity (IEC), 30–81% of water uptake (WR) and 7–32% of linear swelling ratio (LSR). They displayed exceptional mechanical, thermal and chemical stability and were employed for acid waste treatment from HCl/FeCl2 mixtures via DD process. AEMs possessed 20 to 59 (10−3 m/h) and 166 to 362 of acid diffusion dialysis coefficient (UH+) and separation factor (S) respectively at 25 °C. Compared to DF-120 commercial membrane (UH+ = 0.004 m/h, S = 24.3), their DD efficiency was improved under identical experimental conditions.

Polyaromatic anion exchange membranes for alkaline fuel cells with high hydroxide conductivity and alkaline stability

AbstractPoly (terphenylene‐methyl piperidine‐biphenyl) was synthesized using biphenyl, terphenyl, and N‐methyl‐4‐piperidone as raw materials to prepare anion exchange membranes (AEMs). Biphenyl and terphenyl as the copolymer monomers were used to regulate the morphology and properties of the AEMs. The flexible copolymer backbone promoted efficient transport of hydroxyl ions. The obtained AEMs show a high ion conductivity of 49.16 mS/cm at 80°C. Furthermore, the stable piperidine cation and polyarylene chain contributed to the excellent alkaline stability of AEMs that showed only 0.63% deterioration in ion conductivity after soaking in 1 M KOH at 80°C for 720 h. The peak of single cell power density of 54 mW cm−2 was obtained at a load current density of 150.1 mA cm−2 using an aqueous solution containing 1 M methanol and 1 M potassium hydroxide as the anode fuel, and pure oxygen gases as the cathode fuel at 30°C.

Poly (ionic liquid) filled and cross-linked bacterial cellulose-based organic-inorganic composite anion exchange membrane with significantly improved ionic conductivity and mechanical strength

The “trade-off” between high ionic conductivity and dimensional stability is a current challenge in preparation of anion-exchange membranes (AEMs). Here, the inorganic precursor tetraethyl silicate (TEOS) was used to induce silica mineralization on the surface of bacterial cellulose (BC) to obtain SiO2@BC. Then the CC of 3-(Trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPS) was modified on the SiO2@BC surface to fabricate MSiO2@BC porous substrate, followed by in situ filling and crosslinking polymerization with the CC of the cationic monomers (VBTAC) to prepare MSiO2@BC-PVD AEM. The inorganic component in the porous substrate not only enhanced the mechanical properties of AEM, but also induced to construct ordered ion transport channels within the membrane that effectively improved the ionic conductivity. The MSiO2@BC-PVD membrane simultaneously exhibited satisfactory ion conductivity (102 mS cm−1) and low swelling ratio (only 5.9%) at 80 °C. Moreover, the MSiO2@BC-PVD membrane showed a favorable tensile strength of 47.1 MPa, which was 95% higher than that of the pure BC/PVD membrane. More importantly, the maximum peak power density of alkaline direct methanol fuel cell assembled with MSiO2@BC-PVD membrane reached to 100 mW cm−2 at 80 °C. The present work opens a novel path to achieve AEMs with excellent ion conductivity and cell performances.

Cu(I) catalyzed ATRP for the preparation of high-performance poly (vinylidene fluoride)-g-poly 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate crosslinked anion exchange membranes for enhanced acid recovery

The exclusive selectivity feature of an anion exchange membrane (AEM) makes it a core component of the diffusion dialysis (DD) process. Herein, we have developed a novel synthetic route for the preparation of AEMs with a controlled graft length and density by grafting 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMA) chains from the backbone of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) by Cu(I) catalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization to produce PVDF-g-PDMA copolymer, which is converted to AEM by the reaction with α,α’-dichloro-p-xylene (XDC). XDC induces positive charge on the membrane surface and increases the hydrophilicity of the membrane. It also acts as a crosslinker and helps to create a network structure in the membrane, which increases overall membrane stability. The AEMs are used to separate hydrochloric acid from its mixture with metal salts by diffusion dialysis. A representative AEM containing 12% w/w PDMA, abbreviated as ATM-2, show diffusion coefficient (UH+) and separation factors (S) of 0.049 m/h and 117, respectively during the separation of HCl from 2 M HCl + 0.09 M FeCl2 solution. ATM-2 also shows higher UH+ and S values for the separation of HCl with its mixture of different metal salts, i.e., NaCl, CuCl2, and AlCl3. ATM-2 membrane endures a small loss of 1.5% and 3.2% in UH+ and S values, respectively, after submerging in a 2 M acid/salt mixture solution for 60 days. This confirms the good acid stability of the AEM. The results indicate the reasonable potency of the prepared AEMs to be a suitable candidate for DD applications.

Role of Ionic Concentration and Distribution in Anionic Conductivity: Case Study on a Series of Cobaltocenium-Containing Anion Exchange Membranes with Precise Structure Control

Three new anion exchange membranes (AEMs) (P1, P2, P3) with varied numbers (1, 2, 3) of cobaltocenium substituents were synthesized by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The living polymerization characteristic of ROMP endows the resulting AEMs with tunable ionic concentration and precise structure control, which provide an ideal model to investigate the influence of ionic concentration and substituent on the ion-conducting property of AEMs. According to Mohr titration and the alternating-current impedance method, the as-prepared AEMs demonstrated an obvious ionic concentration and substituent influence on ionic conductivity in an ordering of P2 > P3 > P1. In addition, the hydrophilic/hydrophobic microphase separation structures of the three AEMs were observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). To further verify the relationship between ionic concentration, substituent, and ionic conductivity, molecular simulation was also used to calculate the ionic diffusivity of the three AEMs, and the result of simulation computation was consistent with the experimental result. Moreover, a tentative anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) performance test also indicates the corresponding sequence of P2 > P3 > P1. The current work may provide an effective method for the rational design and preparation of AEMs, as well as guidance in investigating the structure–property relationship.

A Brief Review of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)-Based Anion Exchange Membranes for Alkaline Fuel Cells.

Anion exchange membrane fuel cells have unique advantages and are thus gaining increasing attention. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is one of the potential polymers for the development of anion exchange membranes. This review provides recent studies on PVA-based membranes as alternative anion exchange membranes for alkaline fuel cells. The development of anion exchange membranes in general, including the types, materials, and preparation of anion exchange membranes in the last years, are discussed. The performances and characteristics of recently reported PVA-based membranes are highlighted, including hydroxide conductivity, water uptake, swelling degree, tensile strength, and fuel permeabilities. Finally, some challenging issues and perspectives for the future study of anion exchange membranes are discussed.

Crosslinked anion exchange membranes with regional intensive ion clusters prepared from quaternized branched polyethyleneimine/quaternized polysulfone

A series of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with regionally dense ion clusters are prepared by crosslinking quaternized polysulfone (QPSU) with quaternized branched polyethyleneimine (QBPEI). For the as-prepared QPSU/QBPEI AEMs, the hydrophilic QBPEI forms locally aggregated ion clusters in the QPSU matrix, which can promote the formation of an obvious microphase separation structure in the membrane. The QPSU/QBPEI-3 AEM with an ion exchange capacity of 1.88 meq/g exhibits the best performance, achieving a reasonably high ionic conductivity of 66.14 mS/cm at 80 °C and showing good oxidation stability and alkali resistance. Finally, the maximum power density of a single H2/O2 fuel cell with QPSU/QBPEI-3 AEM reaches 75.34 mW/cm2 at 80 °C. The above results indicate that QBPEI with a dendritic structure and abundant anionic conductive groups has a good application prospect in the preparation of AEMs with locally aggregated ion clusters and microphase separation structures.

Highly conductive fluorinated poly(biphenyl piperidinium) anion exchange membranes with robust durability

To prepare anion exchange membranes (AEMs) that possess an excellent alkaline resistance, a competitive conductivity and a low swelling ratio (SR), a reasonable molecular structure design is particularly important. Herein, we synthesized ether-free fluoropolymers via a superacid catalyzed polyhydroxyalkylation reaction in one pot, and grafted long flexible multipiperidine cation side chains to different positions of the backbone through Menshutkin reaction. We investigated the effect of hydrophilic-hydrophobic polarity difference on the microphase separation. When the ionic liquid is grafted closer to the fluorine-contained group, AEMs exhibit a more obvious microphase separated structure and larger ion clusters as confirmed by morphology observation. Molecular dynamics simulations also confirmed that the construction of ion channels in PBPip-QAPBF-30% is more efficient than in QAPBPip-PBF-30%. The resulting PBPip-QAPBF-30% AEM exhibits the highest OH − conductivity of 156.4 mS cm −1 with a low SR of 12.9% at 80 °C. The QAPBPip-PBF-30% and PBPip-QAPBF-30% AEMs both show an excellent alkaline stability with the OH − conductivity retention of 93.2% and 95.0% correspondingly after being treated in a 2 M NaOH solution at 80 °C for 1080 h. Moreover, the peak power density of a single cell equipped with PBPip-QAPBF-30% reaches 324.5 mW cm −2 at a current density of 550 mA cm −2 . • Ether-free fluoropolymers functionalized with multi-piperidine cationic groups. • More obvious microphase separation by grafting side-chain close to the fluorine-contained groups. • High ionic conductivity of 156.4 mS cm -1 and high alkaline stability were realized.

Comparison of Physicochemical Properties of Two Types of Polyepichlorohydrin-Based Anion Exchange Membranes for Reverse Electrodialysis

The development of the most effective, suitable and economic ion-exchange membranes is crucial for reverse electrodialysis (RED)—the most widely studied process to harvest salinity gradient energy from mixing seawater and river water. RED utilizes two types of membranes as core elements, namely cation exchange membranes (CEM) and anion exchange membranes (AEM). Since the preparation of AEMs is more complex compared to CEMs, the design and development of anion exchange membranes have been the focus in this study. Homogeneous AEMs based on two types of polyepichlorohydrin (PECH) with different chlorine amounts (PECH-H, 37 wt% and PECH-C, 25 wt%) were synthesized, and first-time benchmarking of the membrane properties was conducted. In addition to physicochemical membrane properties, some instrumental analyses such as SEM, FTIR and DSC were investigated to characterize these anion-exchange membranes. Based on the results, although the PECH-H-type membrane had enhanced ion-exchange properties, PECH-C-based anion-exchange membranes exhibited a higher power density of 0.316 W/m2 in a lab-scale RED system. Evidently, there is room for the development of new types of PECH-C-based AEMs with great potential for energy generation in the RED process.

Advance of click chemistry in anion exchange membranes for energy application

AbstractClick chemistry has attracted tremendous attention in polymer synthesis due to its high efficiency, considerable yield, and simple synthesis/work‐up procedures. Among the various functional polymer materials prepared by click chemistry, anion exchange membrane (AEM) is a kind of polyelectrolyte which contains cations attached to the polymer skeleton. Click chemistry not only provides facile pathways for the preparation of AEMs but also generates diverse architectures of AEMs with robust performance. The commonly used click chemistry in AEMs consists of: (i) Diels‐Alder reaction, (ii) thiol‐ene, and (iii) Cu(I)‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). This review will focus on the advance of click chemistry in the preparation of AEMs, especially synthetic approaches for different AEMs and their corresponding application in energy‐related fields, such as fuel cells, redox flow battery, electrodialysis, and so on.