Effects of Functionalized Silica Nanoparticles on Characteristics of Nanocomposites PES Cation Exchange Membranes

Nanocomposite cation exchange membranes（CEMs） were prepared by adding various loadings of functionalized silica nanoparticles to the sulfonated polyethersulfone（s PES） polymeric matrix. The silica nanoparticles were functionalized by mercaptopropyl（F1, IEC=0）, propylsulfonic acid（F2, IEC= 2.71）, and sulfonic acid（F3, IEC=2.84）. The properties of prepared membranes were investigated by varying the loadings of functionalized silica nanoparticles. Applying functionalized nanoparticles provides additional ion exchange groups and enhances water contents as well as conductivities and permselectivities of the membranes. The maximum IEC of 1.9 meq.g^-1 was obtained for the membrane having 3 wt% F3 nanoparticles and the maximum conductivity of 0.237 S·cm^-1 was achieved for the membrane having 2 wt% F3 nanoparticles, which were 19.6% and 64% higher than the corresponding values for s PES membrane, respectively. The excellent properties of the nanocomposite cation-exchange membranes make them appropriate candidates for electrodialysis and desalination processes.

Optimizing functional layer of cation exchange membrane by three-dimensional cross-linking quaternization for enhancing monovalent selectivity

Monovalent cation perm-selective membrane(MCPMs)allow fast and selective transport of monovalent cations,and they are promisingly required for extraction of special ions,such as lithium extraction,acid recovery and sea salt production.Herein,we report a novel strategy to design the critical functional layers of MCPMs with both space charge repulsion and cross-linked dense screenability.The in-situ depo-sition polymerization of pyrrole was carried out on the surface of sulfonated polyphenyl sulfone(SPPSU)substrate membrane followed by cross-linking quaternization of the polypyrrole(PPy)layer with diiodi-nated functional molecules,thus,the membrane obtained more excellent selective permeability and sta-ble transport properties of monovalent cations.It confirms that the designed PPy layers with charged sur-face and cross-linking structure improved the hydrophilicity,facilitated cation transport and increased ion flux.Meanwhile,for the dense PPy layer,the charged cross-linked structure endowed the functional layer with the synergistic characteristics of Donnan exclusion and pore size sieving for positively charged ions,which improved the monovalent cation perm-selectivity of the membranes.At a constant current density of 5.1 mA/cm^(2),the optimal membrane exhibited superior perm-selectivity(P^(Na)_(Mg)=2.07)and monovalent cation flux(J_(Na+)=2.80×10^(−8)mol cm^(−2)s^(−1))during electrodialysis.

Ion Exchange Membrane“ABC”–A Key Material for Upgrading Process Industries

Ion exchange membrane plays a crucial role in transforming and upgrading traditional chemical manufacturing procedures and boosting a multitude of new applications.Due to the strict regulations on wastewater discharge and increasing demands of renewable energy,anion exchange membrane(“A”membrane),bipolar membrane(“B”membrane)and cation exchange membrane(“C”membrane)have become a key material for upgrading various process industries.Herein,we summarized several novel synthetic routes for“ABC”membranes fabrication from the viewpoints of designing novel membrane synthetic routes,regulating the ionic transport channels,imparting dynamic transfer regions,introducing intrinsic micro-porosity into the membrane and among others.The account includes a brief introduction to membrane structure designs and fabrications,emerging and industrial applications,and perspectives on ion exchange membranes.