Ionic Diode Current Rectification in High Salt Media with Sulfonated Poly(oxy‐1,4‐phenylene‐oxy‐1,4‐phenylenecarbonyl‐1,4‐phenylene)

Abstract Sulfonated poly(oxy‐1,4‐phenylene‐oxy‐1,4‐phenylenecarbonyl‐1,4‐phenylene) also known as SPEEK is a chemically robust cation conductor with good solution processability. A thin film (approx. 0.7 μm) coated asymmetrically over a 10 μm diameter microhole in a Teflon substrate film (5 μm thickness) produces ionic diode effects in aqueous electrolyte media even at high ionic strengths up to 2 M NaCl. The enhancement in the ionic diode performance under high salt conditions is tentatively attributed to a (partial) switch from a concentration polarisation effect (dominant for high diode currents) to interfacial polarisation (dominant at low current; proposed for molecularly rigid ionomers). Ionic strength effects on the diode performance seem relatively low further indicative of a mechanism for the diode effect caused by interfacial polarisation without significant concentration polarisation. Preliminary comparison of diode phenomena in aqueous HCl, LiCl, NaCl, and MgCl 2 reveals cation specific effects due to interaction with the polymer.