Synthesis of Cation-Exchange Membrane by the Monomer Sorption

LDPE/polystyrene cation exchange membranes were prepared through a monomer-sorption method and UV radiation polymerization. The reaction behaviors in the preparation were investigated. The membranes prepared were characterized in terms of physical and electrochemical properties. The membranes exhibited reasonable properties for an ion-exchange membrane with weight gain (Wr) of above 0.3, electrical resistance of below 1.0 Ω $\textrm{cm}^2$ and ion-exchange capacity of 1.8 meq/g-dry membrane. DSC studies and FE-SEM image revealed the formation of a homogeneous membrane. Both the current-voltage and the chronopotentiometric curves of the membranes indicated that LDPE/polystyrene membranes can be properly used at a high current density, and the surface homogeneity of cation-exchange sites in the membrane was comparable to that in a commercial membrane.