• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.369-376
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• 2022

In this study, the stability of an anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer (AEMWE) cell was evaluated in an on-off cycling operation with respect to an applied electric bias, i.e., a current density of 500 mA cm^-2, and an open circuit. The ohmic and polarization resistances of the system were monitored during operation (~800 h) using electrochemical impedance spectra. Specific consideration was given to the ohmic resistance of the cell, especially that of the membrane under on-off cycling conditions, by consistently feeding the cell with KOH solution. Owing to an excess feed solution, a momentary increase in the polarization resistance was observed immediately after the open-circuit. The excess feed solution was mostly recovered by subjecting the cell to the applied electric bias. Stability tests on the AEMWE cell under on-off cycling with continuous feeding even under an open circuit can guarantee long-term stability by avoiding an irreversible increase in ohmic and polarization resistances.

• 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.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.371-383
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• 2021

Anion exchange membranes have been used for water electrolysis, which can produce hydrogen, and fuel cells, which can generate electrical energy using hydrogen fuel. Anion exchange membranes operate based on hydroxide ion (OH^-) conduction under alkaline conditions. However, since the anion exchange membrane shows relatively low ion conductivity and alkaline stability, there is still a limit to its commercialization in water electrolysis and fuel cells. To address these issues, it is important to develop novel anion exchange membrane materials by rationally designing a polymer structure. In particular, the polymer structure and synthetic method need to be controlled. By doing so, for polymers, the physical properties, ionic conductivity, and alkaline stability can be maintained. Among many anion exchange membranes, poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) is commercially available and easily accessible. In addition, the PPO has relatively high mechanical and chemical stability compared to other polymers. In this review, we introduce the recent development strategy and characteristics of PPO-based polymer materials used in anion exchange membranes.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.49-54
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• 2012

Various anion exchange membranes were prepared by radiation graft copolymerization of vinylbenzyl chloride onto fluorinated films and subsequent quaternization with various tertiary amines such as trimethylamine, N,N-dimethylbuthylamine, N,N-dimethylaniline, and N-methylpiperidine. The quaternizations of the anion exchange membranes were confirmed by measuring of the ion exchange capacities of the membranes. The mechanical properties and the water uptakes were also measured. The elongation at break was found to be largely dependent on the fluorinated film, the quateranry ammonium, and the degree of grafting. The results indicate that the poly (ethylene-alt-tetrafluoroethylene) with quaternized trimethylamine moiety exhibits higher flexible property compared to the other prepared anion exchange membranes.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.58-69
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• 2024

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is an electro-membrane process employing ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) that can harvest electric energy from the concentration difference between seawater and river water. Multivalent ions contained in seawater and river water bind strongly to the fixed charge groups of the IEM, causing high resistance and reducing open-circuit voltage and power density through uphill transport. In this study, a pore-filled anion-exchange membrane (PFAEM) with excellent monovalent ion selectivity and electrochemical properties was fabricated and characterized for RED application. The monovalent ion selectivity of the prepared membrane was 3.65, which was superior to a commercial membrane (ASE, Astom Corp.) with a selectivity of 1.27 under the same conditions. Additionally, the prepared membrane showed excellent electrochemical properties, including low electrical resistance compared to ASE. As a result of evaluating RED performance under seawater of 0.459 M NaCl/0.0510 M Na₂SO₄ and river water of 0.0153 M NaCl/0.0017 M Na₂SO₄, the maximum power density of 1.80 W/m² was obtained by applying the prepared membrane, which is a 40.6% improved output performance compared to the ASE membrane.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.247-254
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• 2007

Heterogeneous anion exchange membranes were prepared by compression molding for the recovery of sulfate ion from waste water. The swelling ratio, transport number, and ion exchange capacity of the heterogeneous anion exchange membranes were increased and their electrical resistances were decreased as the amount of ion exchange resin content in the matrix was raised. The tensile strength of the heterogeneous anion exchange membrane was decreased with increasing the amount of ion exchange resin in the LLDPE. The tensile strength for the LDPE heterogeneous membrane containing 30 wt% anion exchange resin showed the highest value. The water content increased with increasing amount of ion exchange resin in the membrane. Moreover the highest transport number of the membrane was 0.86. The electrical resistance of LDPE matrix membrane with 50 wt% resin showed $46.5{\Omega}{\cdot}cm^2$. Current efficiency of electrodialysis for sulfate ion showed the highest value at the current density of $125 mA/cm^2$ in 0.5 mol/L sulfuric acids solution.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.26-36
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• 2004

Ultrafiltration membranes based on anion charged poly(bis[4-(3-aminophenoxy)phenyl]sulfone pyromellite) imide derivatives (ACPI) were prepared by the phase inversion method. The polymers have good solubility in aprotic polar solvents. The composition of casting solution and the casting conditions played an important role in determining the permeation characteristics of membrane because the membrane structure could be controlled by the preparation conditions. The extent of fouling-repression was observed by the relative ratio of permeate flux ($J_t$)/pure water flux ($J_0$) and the membrane filtration index (MFI). The characteristics were measured by aqueous solution of bovine serum albumin (BSA) over a pH range of 2.5-9.0. The ACPI membrane having a hydrophilic property was less fouled than the membrane prepared from the original polyimide. With increasing the ion exchange capacity of ACPI membrane, th $\varepsilon$ relative ratio of flux was higher while the membrane filtration index was lower as compared with the original polyimide membrane. From the further away from isoelectric point of bovin serum albumin, the permeation was higher as well as the formation of fouling was more diminish. ACPI membranes having various their properties could be obtained. Further, it was proved that their permeation properties could be determined from the preparation conditions, various operating conditions, and dim $\varepsilon$ rent ion exchange capacity of anion charged polyimide derivatives.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.209-218
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• 2022

Recently, research on the development of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) has received considerable attention from the scientific community around the world. Here, we fabricated a series of AEMs with branched structures with different alkyl spacers and conducted comparative evaluations. The introduction of these branched structures is an attempt to overcome the low ionic conductivity and stability problems that AEMs are currently facing. To this end, branched polymers with different spacer lengths were synthesized and properties of each membrane prepared according to the branched structure were compared. The chemical structure of the polymer was investigated by proton nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared, and gel permeation chromatography, and the thermal properties were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis. The branched anion exchange membrane with (CH₂)₃ and (CH₂)₆ spacers exhibited ionic conductivities of 8.9 mS cm^-1 and 22 mS cm^-1 at 90℃, respectively. This means that the length of the spacer affects the ionic conductivity. Therefore, this study showing the effect of the spacer length on the ionic conductivity of the membrane in the polymer structure constituting the ion exchange membrane is judged to be very useful for future application studies of AEM fuel cells.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.109-120
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• 2017

The reverse electrodialysis (RED) is an energy generation system to convert chemical potential of saline water directly into electric energy via the combination of current derived from a redox couple electrolyte and ionic potential obtained when cation ($Na^+$) and anion ($Cl^-$) pass through cation exchange membrane (CEM) and anion exchange membrane (AEM) into fresh water, respectively. Ion exchange membrane, a key element of RED system, should satisfy requirements such as 1) low swelling behavior, 2) a certain level of ion exchange capacity, 3) high ion conductivity, and 4) high perm-selectivity to achieve high power density. In this paper, research trends and prospects of ionomer materials and ion exchange membranes are dealt with.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.965-969
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• 2005

Current density is an important operating parameter in the ion-exchange membrane process. We observed the effects of fouling of a Neosepta AMX anion-exchange membrane(Tokuyama Soda, Japan) in 0.02 M NaCl solution containing 100 mg/L sodium humate. Membrane fouling was analyzed by measuring the change in the electrical resistance in the under- and over-limiting current density regions. The experimental results found that membrane fouling was negligible at under-limiting current densities, but was increased significantly when an over-limiting current was supplied. After the fouling experiments, the current-voltage curves for the fouled membranes were measured. From the curves, we observed increased electric resistance and reduced limiting current density(LCD), caused by the accumulation of humic acid on the membrane surface. Furthermore, membrane fouling increased as the acidity of the electrolyte solution containing humic acid increased. This occurred because the fouling of an anion-exchange membrane is affected more by the physicochemical properties of the humic substance than by the surface charge of the humate.