• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.621-626
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• 2010

Anion exchange membranes can be used for reverse electrodialysis for electric energy generation, and capacitive deionization for water purification, as well as electrodialysis for desalination. In this study, anion exchange membranes of poly((vinylbenzyl) trimethylammonium chloride-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)/poly(vinyl alcohol) were prepared through the polymerization of (vinylbenzyl)trimethylammonium chloride and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate in aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions, esterification with glutaric acid, and cross-linking reaction with glutaraldehyde. We investigated electrochemical properties for the anion exchange membranes prepared according to experimental conditions. Ion exchange capacity and electrical resistance for the membranes were changed with a variation in the monomer ratio in polymerization. Water uptake and conductivity for the membranes decreased with an increase in the content of glutaric acid in esterification. The change in the time of crosslinking reaction with the formed film and glutaraldehyde affected electrochemical properties such as water uptake, conductivity, or transport number for the membranes. Chronopotentiometry and limiting current density for the anion exchange membranes prepared were measured.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.70-78
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• 2024

A photo-crosslinked anion exchange membrane (AEM) based on quaternary-aminated polyacrylates was developed for reverse electrodialysis (RED). Although reverse electrodialysis is a clean and renewable energy generation system, the low power output and high membrane cost are serious obstacles to its commercialization. Cross-linked AEMs without any polymer supporters were fabricated through photo-crosslinking between polymer-typed acrylates with anion conducting groups, in particular, polymer-typed acrylates were synthesized based on engineering plastic with outstanding mechanical and chemical property. The fabricated membranes showed outstanding physical, chemical, and electrochemical properties. The area resistance of the fabricated membranes (CQAPPOA-20, CQAPPOA-35, and CQAPPOA-50) were ~50% lower than that of AMV (2.6 Ω cm²). Moreover, the transport number of CQAPPOA-35 wase comparable to that of AMV, despite the thin thickness (40 ㎛) of the fabricated membranes. The RED stack with the CQAPPOA-35 membrane provided an excellent maximum power density of 2.327 W m^-2 at a flow rate of 100 mL min^-1, which is 15% higher than that (2.026 W m^-2) of the RED stack with the AMV membrane. Considering easy fabrication process by UV photo-crosslinking and outstanding RED stack properties, the CQAPPOA-35 membrane is a promising candidate for REDs.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.142-150
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• 2010

A series of anion exchange composite membranes were prepared and characterized for electrodialysis processes used in the removal of nitrate nitrogen and ions in groundwater. The membranes were prepared as follows; first, fabric substrates were fully impregnated with monomer mixtures of vinylbenzylchloride (VBC), divinylbenzene (DVB), Styrene (ST) and $\alpha,\alpha$-Azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN). Second, they were thermally polymerized to yield crosslinked poly (VBCST- DVB)/fabric composite membranes. Finally, the membranes were treated with trimethylamine (TMA) / acetone to give $-N^+(CH_3)_3^-$-containing poly(VBC-ST-DVB)/fabric membranes. The basic membrane properties such as ion exchange capacity (IEC), electric resistance and water content of the resulting membranes were measured as a function of VBC/DVB and TMA/Acetone content. As a result, the composite membranes showed lower electric resistance and higher IEC than commercial anion exchange membranes (AMX, Astom). Electrodialysis tests using the prepared membranes were carried out for the removal of various ions such as $NaNO_3$, $MgSO_4$ and NaF for 60 minutes. The results showed that the ions were removed below 1 mg/L within about 15 minutes which indicates that the anion exchange membranes prepared here could be applied to the electrodialysis process. as can be seen in the following that the ion conductivity values were almost no change after 15 minutes electrodialysis.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.138-145
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• 2008

A series of anion exchange composite membranes were prepared and characterized for electro-dialysis process used in the removal of toxic anion and cation polutants in groundwater or wastewater. The membranes were prepared as follows; first, porous poly(ethylene) (PE) substrates were fully impregnated with monomer mixtures with various ratio of vinylbenzylchloride (VBC), divinylbenzene (DVB) and ${\alpha},\;{\alpha}$-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN). Second, they were thermally polymerized to yield crosslinked poly(VBC-DVB)/PE composite membranes. Finally, the membranes were treated in trimethylamine (TMA)/acetone to give $-N^+(CH_3)_3$-containing poly(VBC-DVB)/PE membranes. The basic membrane properties such as ion exchange capacity (IEC), electric resistance and water content of the resulting membranes were measured as a function of VBC/DVB and TMA/Acetone content. As a result, the composite membranes showed lower electric resistance, lower water content and higher IEC than commercial anion exchange membranes (AMX, Astom) due to thin PE substrates, indicating that the composite membranes could be successfully applied to the electrodialysis for water treatment.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.515-523
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• 2015

While commercial polystyrene-based ion exchange membranes have simple manufacturing processes, they also possess poor durability due to their brittleness. Poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate with hydrophilic side chains of poly(ethylene glycol) was used as a co-monomer to make the membranes have improved flexibility. Hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the anion exchange membranes were able to be adjusted by varying the chain lengths of the poly(ethylene glycol). For the preparation of the anion exchange membranes, a porous PE substrate was immersed into monomer solutions and thermally polymerized. The prepared membranes were subsequently reacted with trimethylamine to produce anion exchange functional groups, Quaternary ammonium salts. The prepared pore-filled anion exchange membranes were evaluated in terms of ion exchange capacity, electric resistance, elongation at break and water uptake.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.432-448
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• 2016

In the last decade, various types of energy harvesting and conversion systems based on ion exchange membranes (IEMs) have been developed for eco-friendly power generation and energy-grid systems. In these membrane-based energy systems, high ion selectivity and conductivity properties of IEMs are critical parameters to improve efficiency of the systems such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells, anion exchange membrane fuel cells, redox flow batteries, water electrodialysis for hydrogen production, and reverse electrodialysis. This article suggests variable approaches to overcome trade-off limitation of polymeric membrane ion transport properties by reviewing various types of composite ion-exchange membranes including novel inorganic-organic nanocomposite membrane, surface modified membranes, cross-linked and pore-filled membranes.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.903-913
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• 2021

Three-type PVC membranes denoted by AEM-1, AEM-2, and AEM-3 with a cross-linked anion-exchange group were prepared by substitution reaction of PVC with triethyldiamine (TEDA), 1,4-dimethylpiperazine (DMP), and 1,4-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene (BIB) in cyclohexanone, respectively. We confirmed the successful preparation of the AEM-1, AEM-2, and AEM-3 via ionic conductivity (S/cm), water uptake (%), contact angle, ion-exchange capacity (m_eq/g), thermal properties, SEM and XPS analysis, respectively. The electrochemical capacitor experiments using PVC membrane with cross-linked anion-exchange group in organic electrolytes were performed. The prepared AEM-1, AEM-2 AEM-3 have a good stability by charge and discharge performance in organic electrolyte. As a result, the AEM-2 and AEM-3 membrane based on PVC prepared by the solvent casting method after substituent reaction is suitable for the use as a separator in organic electrochemical capacitor (supercapacitor).

• Membrane Journal
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.463-471
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• 2014

While poly(styrene)-based anion exchange membranes have the advantage like easy and simple manufacturing process, they also possess the disadvantage of poor durability due to their brittleness. Acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber was used here as an additive to make the membranes have improved flexibility and durability. For the preparation of the anion exchange membranes, a PP mesh substrate was immersed into monomer solutions with vinylbenzyl chloride, styrene, divinylbenzene and benzoyl peroxide, then thermally polymerized & crosslinked. The prepared membranes were subsequently post-aminated using trimethylamine to result in $-N+(CH_3)_3$ group-containing composite membranes. Various contents of vinylbenzyl chloride and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber were investigated to optimize the membrane properties and the prepared membranes were evaluated in terms of water content, ion exchange capacity and electric resistance. It was found that the optimized composite membranes showed higher IEC and lower electric resistance than a commercial anion exchange membrane(AMX) and have excellent flexibility and durability.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.415-424
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• 2017

Commonly cation exchange membranes have been used for vanadium redox flow batteries. However, a severe vanadium ion cross-over causes low energy efficiency. Thus in this study, we prepared 3 different anion exchange membranes to investigate the effect on the membrane properties such as vanadium ion cross-over and long term stability. The base membranes were prepared by an electrolyte pore filling technique using vinyl benzyl chloride (VBC), divinylbenzene (DVB) within a porous polyethylene (PE) substrate. Then 3 different functional amines were introduced into the base membranes, respectively. These resulting membranes were evaluated by physico-chemical properties such as ion exchange capacity, dimensional stability, vanadium ion cross-over and membrane area resistance. Conclusively, TEA-functionalized membrane showed longest term stability than other membranes although all the membranes are similar to coulombic efficiency.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.336-347
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• 2022

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is one of the promising eco-friendly renewable energy technologies which can generate electricity from the concentration difference between seawater and freshwater by using ion-exchange membranes as a diaphragm. The ion-exchange membrane is a key component that determines the performance of RED, and must satisfy requirements such as low electrical resistance, high permselectivity, excellent durability, and low manufacturing cost. In this study, pore-filled anion-exchange membranes were fabricated using porous polymer substrates having various thicknesses and porosity, and the effects of ion-exchange polymer composition and membrane thickness on the power generation performance of RED were investigated. When the electrical resistance of the ion-exchange membrane is sufficiently low, it can be confirmed that the RED power generation performance is mainly influenced by the apparent permselectivity of the membrane. In addition, it was confirmed that the apparent permselectivity of the membranes can be improved through IEC, crosslinking degree, membrane thickness, surface modification, etc., and the optimum condition must be found in consideration of the trade-off relationship with electrical resistance.