Polyethylene/poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) sodium sulphonate membranes : Part 1. Synthesis and properties

Transport properties of cation-exchange membranes have been studied. The self-diffusion coefficients of sodium and chloride ions, the transport numbers of sodium ions and water, and the conductivities were measured in 0.1 M sodium chloride at 25°C. The concentration potentials were determined in the system 0.05/0.15 M sodium chloride.The membranes were prepared by sulphonation of oriented polyethylene (PE) film modified with 30 wt % of styrene—divinylbenzene copolymer (poly(St-co-DVB)). The copolymer was introduced by interpolymerization of the monomers within the film without its dissolution. A sequence of membranes having similar ion-exchange capacity but differing in water content was then obtained from sheets of normal PE/poly(St-co-DVB)SO₃Na membranes by expanding them by heating in water followed by a thermal treatment in air.The deviations of the measured transport properties from the behaviour of homogeneous membranes and the analysis of the Kedem—Katchalsky relationships for composite membranes have led to the conclusion that in PE/poly(St-co-DVB)SO₃Na membranes a structure prevails with a series arrangement of layers with different properties.