Pore Filled Ion-Conducting Materials Based on Track-Etched Membranes and Sulfonated Polystyrene

Abstract

Synthesis of proton-conducting materials based on track-etched membranes from polyvinylidene fluoride and sulfonated cross-linked polystyrene is described. The synthesis has been carried out by filling the pores of the original or gamma-irradiated track-etched membrane by copolymerization of styrene/divinylbenzene followed by sulfonation of polystyrene with chlorosulfonic acid. The resulting membranes have been studied by scanning electron microscopy and ATR IR spectroscopy. Membrane ionic conductivity, hydrogen gas permeability, ion-exchange capacity, and water absorption were measured. The ionic conductivity at 30°C reaches 51.7 mS/cm, which is almost three times higher than for Nafion®212 membranes; however, the gas permeability of the obtained materials also increases simultaneously.

Preparation and Characterization of a Clay-Based Ceramic Membrane for Tannery Wastewater Treatment

“…Recently, traditional clay minerals have been successfully used in the production of membranes for the treatment of both industrial and surface wastewater [1]. This arises due to the highly expensive nature of engineering ceramics and the limitations of polymer-based membranes in terms of poor mechanical, thermal and chemical properties [2][3][4][5][6][7][8].…”