A sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) containing hydroxyl groups (HO-SPEEK) has been synthesized for investigation as the ionomer in cathode of direct methanol fuel cells. Na salt-formed HO-SPEEK shows excellent solubility in some aqueous solutions of monohydric alcohol and can be successfully self-cross-linked in-situ during the hot-pressing process of membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) fabrication. The resulted cross-linked HO-SPEEK displays improved stability and mechanical strength. MEA incorporating the HO-SPEEK as both membrane and ionomer shows excellent peak power density of 29.0 mW cm⁻² at 25 °C with 4 M methanol, which is comparable to the Nafion reference MEA (31.8 mW cm⁻²) and 2.9-fold higher than that of the MEA prepared from catalyst ink that contained dimethyl sulfoxide (10.3 mW cm⁻²). Thanks to the avoidance of high-boiling point solvent, the resulted HO-SPEEK-based cathode is loosened with many large pores for reactant gas and product transportation. These results demonstrate that water-alcohol dispersible and cross-linkable sulfonated hydrocarbons hold technological promise as ionomer for electrode.

合成了含羟基的磺化聚醚醚酮（HO-SPEEK），作为直接甲醇燃料电池阴极中的离聚物用于研究。由钠盐形成的HO-SPEEK在一元醇的某些水溶液中显示出极好的溶解性，并且可以在膜电极组件（MEA）制造的热压过程中成功地就地自交联。所得的交联的HO-SPEEK显示出改善的稳定性和机械强度。结合有HO-SPEEK作为膜和离聚物的MEA在25°C下用4 M甲醇显示出29.0 mW cm ^-2的出色峰值功率密度，与Nafion参考MEA（31.8 mW cm ^-2）相当）和由包含二甲基亚砜（10.3 mW cm ^-2）的催化剂墨水制备的MEA的MEA的2.9倍高。由于避免使用高沸点溶剂，所得的HO-SPEEK基阴极松散了许多大孔，用于反应气体和产物的输送。这些结果表明，水醇可分散和可交联的磺化烃作为电极的离聚物具有技术前景。