Anion exchange membrane with viologen moiety as anion exchange groups and generation of photo-induced electrical potential from the membrane

An anion exchange membrane with a viologen moiety was prepared by the reaction of a film of chloromethylated polysulfone and 4,4′-bipyridine. The anion exchange membrane showed a high electrical resistance and a high transport number of anions due to the development of high crosslinking by the diamine. After the membrane had been swollen with ethylene glycol, photo-voltage and photo-current (82 mV, 410 nA at 200 kΩ load, 160 μm thick membrane) were generated from the membrane upon photo-irradiation.