PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ION EXCHANGE MEMBRANES BASED ON POLYVINYLIDENE FLUORIDE

 A new ion exchange membrane based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and sulfonated poly(styrene- divinylbenzene) was prepared by in-situ polymerization. The incorporation of sulfonic groups into the polyvinylidene fluoride composite membrane was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy (IR), ion exchange capacity (IEC) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). Area resistance, IEC and water uptake of the treated membrane were evaluated. When 20% of the crosslinked membrane was sulfonated at 80°C for 22 h, the PVDF ion exchange membrane can attain 0.8 Ω·cm²area resistance in NaCl aqueous solution at 25℃, IEC is as high as 2.43 millimoles per gram of the wet membrane. The hydrophilicity of PVDF membrane is also significantly improved after treatment. When 60% of crosslinked membrane was sulfonated at 80 ℃ for 6 h, water uptake of the treated membrane can attain 64.7%.