Perfluorinated ion-exchange membranes

This review concerns the chemical structure and synthesis of perfluorinated sulfocationite membranes, among which Nafion, MF-4SC, Flemion, Aciplex-S, and Dow membranes are the most well-known representatives. Special attention is given to main mechanisms controlling the formation of microstructure and its relationship with transport processes and selectivity levels of membranes. Key approaches to the modification of ion-exchange materials, above all involving the synthesis of hybrid membranes containing nanoparticles of inorganic compounds, are described. It is noted that increases in the conductivity and selectivity levels of hybrid membranes are primarily related to changes in structure of pores and channels and in the distribution of the concentration of carriers in them. Some examples of the practical use of perfluorinated membranes in modern technologies are highlighted.     

Comparative investigations of ion-exchange membranes

The equilibrium and transport properties (conductivity, transport number, diffusion) of crosslinked ionomer membranes based on sulfinated and sulfonated PSU in aqueous solutions of HCl, NaCl and KCl have been investigated and compared with a Nafion 117 membrane. It has been found that these membranes are more compact and their conducting paths are of smaller dimension than that of the Nafion 117. The influence of length of crosslinking chain, changing from –(CH₂)₄– to –(CH₂)₁₂–, is particularly indicated by the diffusion coefficients; the conductivity and transport numbers of counterions are influenced only slightly. Practically no dependence of this effect on the transport number of H⁺ has been found.     

Studies with inorganic ion-exchange membranes

The pyridinium molybdoarsenate membrane shows a response to pyridinium ions and can be used to determine the concentration of these ions in the range 10(-3)-1M. The potentials generated across the membrane are reproducible and the response time is less than 1 min. There is no interference from certain inorganic and organic ions. The electrode can be used in the pH range 3-6 as well as in non-aqueous medium. Small additions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide cause large shifts in the membrane potentials. A membrane, after being treated with this surfactant, shows a wider range of response to pyridinium ions. Precipitation titration of pyridinium nitrate has been monitored by using this membrane electrode.     

Homogeneous ion-exchange membranes of improved flexibility

Poly(styrenesulfonic acid) ion-exchange membranes having various degrees of porosity and flexibility have been prepared by using aliphatic and aromatic esters of p-styrenesulfonic acid. The membranes formed from the aliphatic ester monomers were found to exhibit an increase in water uptake, permeability, and flexibility with increase in the size of the alcohol group of the ester monomer. With membranes formed from the phenyl and β-naphthyl ester monomers the reverse trend was indicated. The flexibility of the membranes formed from the aromatic ester monomers was much greater than that obtained with the aliphatic esters.     

Electroconvection in systems with heterogeneous ion-exchange membranes

The results of studying the surface morphology of heterogeneous cation-(MK-40) and anion-exchange (MA-40) membranes and calculating the structure of electroconvective vortices generated by the electric body force are shown. The body force and its distribution are estimated by taking into account real parameters of the membrane surface morphology. The calculations of vortices were carried out by solving the Navier-Stokes equation with the no-slip boundary condition and the preset body force distribution. It is shown that the body force induced by the flowing current can generate pairs of electroconvective vortices (electroosmosis of the second kind), where the size of induced vortices is comparable with the intermembrane gap in electrodialysis cells.     

Electrochemically induced chemomechanical bending of bilayered ion-exchange membranes

A bilayered ion-exchange membrane consisting of poly(styrene-co-4-vinylpyridinium ion) (anion-exchange membrane) and a gel-like mixture of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(acrylic acid) (cation-exchange membrane) was prepared. The bilayered membrane strip, one end of which is fixed, is placed between two carbon electrodes in a cell which contains KCl solution of 0.01 mol kg⁻¹ molality. If the electric field is applied from the cation-exchange layer side to the anion-exchange layer side, the cation-exchange layer becomes the K⁻ form and is elongated. On the contrary, if the electric field is reversed, dissociation of water into H⁺ and OH⁻ occurs at the interface between the two layers. Consequently, the carboxyl group becomes the acid form, resulting in contraction of the layer. The anion-exchange layer, which contains a strong base group, becomes either the Cl form or the OH form with changing the electric field, but there is no detectable change in volume. Thus, if the electric field applied to the membrane is periodically reversed, periodical bending of the bilayered membrane is observed.     

Reformulating the permselectivity-conductivity tradeoff relation in ion-exchange membranes

Polymer membranes used in separation applications exhibit a tradeoff between permeability and selectivity. That is, membranes that are highly permeable tend to have low selectivity and vice versa. For ion-exchange membranes used in applications such as electrodialysis and reverse electrodialysis, this tradeoff is expressed in terms of membrane permselectivity (i.e., ability to selectively permeate counter-ions over co-ions) and ionic conductivity (i.e., ability to transport ions in the presence of an electric field). The use of membrane permselectivity and ionic conductivity to illustrate a tradeoff between counter-ion throughput and counter-ion/co-ion selectivity in ion-exchange membranes complicates the analysis since permselectivity depends on the properties of the external solution and ionic conductivity depends on the transport of all mobile ions within a membrane. Furthermore, the use of these parameters restricts the analysis to ion-exchange membranes used in applications in which counter-ion/co-ion selectivity is required. In this study, the permselectivity-conductivity tradeoff relation for ion-exchange membranes is reformulated in terms of ion concentrations and diffusion coefficients in the membrane. The reformulated framework enables a direct comparison between counter-ion throughput and counter-ion/co-ion selectivity and is general. The generalizability of the reformulated tradeoff relation is demonstrated for cation-exchange membranes used in vanadium redox flow batteries.     

Recent developments on ion-exchange membranes and electro-membrane processes

Rapid growth of chemical and biotechnology in diversified areas fuels the demand for the need of reliable green technologies for the down stream processes, which include separation, purification and isolation of the molecules. Ion-exchange membrane technologies are non-hazardous in nature and being widely used not only for separation and purification but their application also extended towards energy conversion devices, storage batteries and sensors etc. Now there is a quite demand for the ion-exchange membrane with better selectivities, less electrical resistance, high chemical, mechanical and thermal stability as well as good durability. A lot of work has been done for the development of these types of ion-exchange membranes during the past twenty-five years. Herein we have reviewed the preparation of various types of ion-exchange membranes, their characterization and applications for different electro-membrane processes. Primary attention has been given to the chemical route used for the membrane preparation. Several general reactions used for the preparation of ion-exchange membranes were described. Methodologies used for the characterization of these membranes and their applications were also reviewed for the benefit of readers, so that they can get all information about the ion-exchange membranes at one platform. Although there are large number of reports available regarding preparations and applications of ion-exchange membranes more emphasis were predicted for the usefulness of these membranes or processes for solving certain type of industrial or social problems. More efforts are needed to bring many products or processes to pilot scale and extent their applications.     

Application of ion-exchange reactions between membranes and resins

The separation of a solution of an electrolyte from an ion-exchange resin by an ion-exchange membrane, where the charge sign of the fixed sites is the same, results in a process that is comparable to Donnan dialysis in its overall effect. That is, the counter-ions from the resin can be exchanged for ions of the same charge sign in the electrolyte. The reaction is demonstrated and the efficiency of the process evaluated by monitoring the metathesis of carbonic acid from sodium carbonate. An application of the metathesis of a non-electrolyte to a preconcentration method for ion chromatography is demonstrated.     

Physicochemical characterization of ion-exchange membranes in water-methanol mixtures

A complete physicochemical characterization of two ion-exchange membranes—CM2 and Nafion^®117—used in electrodialysis and in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) has been carried out. For each membrane, in different methanol-water mixtures—0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%—and at different temperatures (25.0; 40.0 et 55.0 °C), we have measured the variations of the geometrical dimensions, the proton electrical conductivity, the swelling rate and the amount of methanol in the membrane. The FTIR analysis of Nafion^®117 was performed at different methanol contents of the external solution.The results show that the CM2 membrane presents the best geometrical stability, and the lowest conductivity at any methanol content. At high methanol contents, Nafion^®117 is 10 times more conductive than the CM2 membrane. It was found that the methanol is absorbed more by Nafion^®117, and its effect is more noticeable on the microstructure of this membrane, under standard conditions. The high methanol permeability of these membranes, particularly of the Nafion^®117, induces bad cell efficiencies and lifetimes.     

Transport properties of highly ordered heterogeneous ion-exchange membranes

Model "ordered" heterogeneous ion exchange membranes are made with ion exchange particles heaving ion exchange capacity in the range 3 to 2.5 meq/gr (dry basis) and diameters ranging from 37 to 7 microm and 2 component room-temperature vulcanizing silicon rubber as a polymeric matrix, by applying an electric field normal to the membrane surface during preparation. These membranes were shown to have an improved ionic conductivity compared with "nonordered" membranes based on the same ion exchange content (for instance, at 10% resin content "nonordered" membranes show <10(-5) mS/cm while "ordered" membranes have conductivity of 1 mS/cm). The transport properties of ordered membranes were compared with those of nonordered membranes, through the current-voltage characteristics. Limiting currents measured for the ordered membranes were significantly higher than those of the nonordered membranes with the same resin concentration. In addition, higher limiting currents were observed in ordered membranes as the resin particles became smaller. Energy dispersion spectrometry analyses revealed that the concentration of cation exchange groups on the membrane surface was higher for ordered membrane as compared to that of nonordered membranes. This implies that the local current density for the conducting domains at the surface of the nonordered membranes is higher, leading to higher concentration polarization and, eventually, to lower average limiting current densities. The effect of ordering the particles on the membrane conductivity and transport properties was studied, and the advantages of the ordered membranes are discussed.     

Heterogeneous polyelectrolyte gels as stimuli-responsive membranes

Stimuli-responsive membranes may act as “on–off switches” or “permeability valves”, producing patterns of pulsatile release, where the period and rate of mass transfer can be controlled by external or environmental triggers (e.g. pH, temperature, electric field). In this work, composite-heterogeneous polyelectrolyte gel (composite-HPG) membranes consisting of polymethacrylic acid (PMAA) gel particles dispersed within a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) network were developed and evaluated as pH-responsive membranes.The mechanism of permeability control for caffeine and vitamin B₁₂ through composite-HPG membranes was determined to be a synergistic function of membrane hydration and the percolating volume fraction of PMAA gel. Larger changes in permeation as a function of pH were achieved when both hydration and percolation effects occurred together than when either of these effects occurred on their own. Vitamin B₁₂ permeation was observed when the hydrated gel volume fraction was above approximately 0.38, but not below. Furthermore, the percolating fraction of composite-HPG membranes containing 28% (dry basis) PMAA gel particles was manipulated via pH to fall above (pH 7) or below (pH 3) this transition in permeability, resulting in membranes that delivered solutes of high molecular weight (vitamin B₁₂) with large on/off delivery ratios (160).     

Radiation deterioration of ion-exchange Nafion N117CS membranes

The cation-exchange Nafion N117 membranes swelling in electrolyte solution were irradiated with γ-rays or electron beams at various doses up to 1500 kGy in the temperature range from room temperature to 343 K to obtain detailed information on the effect of ion-exchange on the radiation deterioration in mechanical properties and ion-exchange capacity. Considerable deterioration in mechanical properties was observed when the Nafion membranes swelling in electrolyte solution were irradiated. A reason is the promotion of degradation with oxygen molecules produced by the irradiation of electrolyte solution. The concentration of electrolyte solution influenced strongly the radiation deterioration in mechanical properties. Keeping the concentration of metal ions to be negligible is important when electrolyzed highly radioactive solution in the light of the durability of polyperfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membrane. A sort of cation in electrolyte solution negligibly influenced radiation deterioration in mechanical properties. A sort of anion in electrolyte solution had negligible effect on radiation deterioration in mechanical properties and ion-exchange capacity. The discrepancy in the radiation deterioration in mechanical properties of Nafion membranes swelling in NaCl solution was observed between the specimens irradiated with γ-rays and electron beams. This discrepancy can be explained from the low diffusivity of oxygen from bulk into the membrane.     

Electroluminescence of ion-exchange polymeric membranes in the swollen state

The first results on the electroluminescence of the MK-40L, MK-40K, MF-4SK, MA-40L, MA-41L, MA-40K, and MA-41K ion-exchange polymeric membranes in the swollen state are reported. It was found that electroluminescence had the character of flashes. Intensity and time characteristics of electroluminescence were determined over the range of NaCl solution concentrations from 0 to 0.1 M. The special features of electroluminescence from the ion-exchange membranes were determined from their photographs. It was found that the membranes in the air-dry state did not exhibit electroluminescence.     

Analytical model of laminar flow electrodialysis with ion-exchange membranes

A boundary-value problem for electrodialysis with ion-exchange membranes is posed and its analytical solution obtained. The solution allows one to calculate concentration fields in desalination and brine compartments, the current-density distribution along the flow coordinate and the thickness of diffusion boundary layers. It also makes it possible to estimate the value of local limiting current-density and to obtain the dependence of the process on physico-chemical characteristics of ion-exchange membranes (transport numbers and conductivity). The mathematical model was verified by a local distributive analysis made by means of laser interferometry.     

Thermal stability of ion-exchange Nafion N117CS membranes

The effect of exchanged ions on the thermal stability of Nafion N117CS membranes was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermomechanical analysis (TMA), and ion exchange capacity determinations. The ion exchange of alkaline metal ions was effective in improving the thermal stability of the Nafion N117CS membrane. Findings reveal that when Nafion was exchanged for cations with a larger ionic radius, the membrane attained superior thermal stability. On the other hand, we confirmed that the Na-exchange Nafion N117CS membrane possessed a distinctive degree of thermal stability among the alkaline ion-exchange Nafions, although the order of ionic radii is K > Na > Li. Thermal stability improved the most when the Nafion membrane was exchanged for alkaline ions, followed by divalent ions, then trivalent ions. As for the Nafion membrane when it was exchanged for divalent ions or trivalent ions, Nafion following the ion exchange had a thermal stability proportional to an increase in the ionic radius of the cation. This stability may be explained by the reduction of water content and a greater interaction between the sulfonate groups and the cations with larger ionic radii. Since the Al cations acted as a Lewis acid center, the decomposition of the ether bonds of the perfluoroalkylether pendant-chains of the Nafion membrane was observed for the Nafion N117CS membrane that had been exchanged for Al ions. The activation of molecular mobility in Nafion was observed between the decomposition stages of the loss of water and the loss of sulfonic groups. The temperature of activation of cation-exchange Nafion became much higher than that of Nafion in an acid form.     

Mathematical model of electrodialysis with ion-exchange membranes and inert spacers

A mathematical model describing the two-dimensional concentration field of an electrodialysis device with inert spacers is proposed. The boundary-value problem includes the Navier-Stokes, continuity, and steady-state convective diffusion equations and well-defined conditions and is solved by the control-volume numerical method. Results are expressed in the form of functional relationships of generalized variables. It is shown that when channels of the electrodialysis device are filled with spacers that do not conduct electric current, mass transport increases by several times in comparison to devices with open channels. The possibility is discussed for replacing the inert spacers with ones that conduct ion, not only in the complete demineralization of natural waters, but also in the desalination of brackish ground waters.     

Electroconvection in systems with heterogeneous ion-exchange membranes after thermal modification

It is found that the variations in the structure (morphology and microrelief) and chemical composition of surface of heterogeneous ion-exchange membranes as a result of thermal modification have different effects on the current—voltage characteristics and conditions for the generation of electroconvective instability at the membrane/solution interface under intense current modes. After thermal treatment of strongly acidic sulfocation-exchange membrane, which is characterized by a low catalytic activity in the reaction of water dissociation and a high thermal stability of fixed groups, a fraction of conducting surface area increases and the membrane microrelief develops. As a result, the diffusion limiting current density increases and the length of plateau of the current—voltage curve decreases. Therewith, the thickness of the region of electroconvective instability of solution in the near-membrane region increases and the polarization of electromembrane system, at which the mode of unstable electroconvection is reached, decreases. The thermodestruction of strongly basic anion-exchange membranes, conversely, leads to suppression of electroconvection and an increase in the length of plateau of the current—voltage curve due to the formation of fixed weakly basic amino groups, which are catalytically active in the reaction of water dissociation. A linear correlation is found between the dimensions of the region of electroconvective instability and a fraction of weakly basic functional amino groups in the composition of strongly basic membranes.