Internally Cross-Linked Polysulfone-Based Anion Exchange Membranes with pH Stability for Carboxylate Separation

Lan, Yansu; Huang, Yicheng; Zhou, Die; Zhang, Xi; Xia, Lei; Dewil, Raf; Van der Bruggen, Bart; Zhao, Yan

doi:10.1021/acsestwater.3c00598

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…The combination of these polar groups and the hydrophobic aromatic backbone provides the membrane with a phase-separated structure [24]. Recently, many efforts have been devoted to preparing the membranes with dense structures to minimize the solvent absorption rates and swelling degrees [25]. Crosslinking the polymer leads to a dense, tortuous 3D network with steric effects, which leads to decreased swelling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overcoming the Trade-Off between Methanol Rejection and Proton Conductivity via Facile Synthesis of Crosslinked Sulfonated PEEK Proton Exchange Membranes

Depuydt,

Traub,

Van Eygen

et al. 2024

Applied Sciences

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In this work, homogeneous, thin-film proton exchange membranes (PEMs) with superior proton conductivities and high methanol rejection were fabricated via a facile synthesis procedure. Sulfonated polyether ether ketone (sPEEK) was crosslinked via a Friedel–Crafts reaction by α,α′-dichloro-p-xylene, a non-hazardous and hydrophobic compound. PEMs with varying crosslinking and sulfonation degrees were fabricated to overcome the traditional trade-off between methanol rejection and proton conductivity. The sulfonation of PEEK at 60 °C for 24 h resulted in a sulfonation degree of 56%. Those highly sulfonated backbones, in combination with a low membrane thickness (ca. 20 µm), resulted in proton conductivities superior to Nafion 117. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy proved it was possible to control the crosslinking degree via the crosslinking time and temperature. The PEMs with the highest crosslinking degree showed better methanol rejection compared to the commercial benchmark. The introduction of the crosslinker created hydrophobic membrane sections, which reduced the water and methanol uptake. Subsequently, the membrane became denser due to the crosslinking, hindering the solute permeation. Those two effects led to lower methanol crossovers. This study proved the successful fabrication of PEMs overcoming the trade-off between proton conductivity and methanol rejection, following a facile procedure using low-cost and non-hazardous materials.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%