Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Ion-Exchange Membranes for the Fabrication of Reverse Electrodialysis Device
Published on: July 20, 2021
Water uptake profile in a model ion-exchange membrane: conditions for water-rich channels
Daniel C Herbst1, Thomas A Witten1, Tsung-Han Tsai2
1James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
Abstract:
Ionic conductivity in a polymeric fuel cell requires water uptake. Previous theoretical studies of water uptake used idealized parameters. We report a parameter-free prediction of the water-swelling behavior of a model fuel cell membrane. The model polymers, poly(methyl-butylene)-block-poly(vinylbenzyl-trimethylamine), form lamellar domains that absorb water in humid air. We use the Scheutjens-Fleer methodology to predict the resulting change in lamellar structure and compare with x-ray scattering. The results suggest locally uniform water distributions. However, under conditions where a PVBTMA and water mixture phase-separate, the two phases arrange into stripes with a dilute stripe sandwiched between two concentrated stripes. A small amount of water enhances conductivity most when it is partitioned into such channels, improving fuel-cell performance.
More Related Videos
08:06Merging Ion Concentration Polarization between Juxtaposed Ion Exchange Membranes to Block the Propagation of the Polarization Zone
Published on: February 23, 2017
10:19Three-Dimensionally Printed Microfluidic Cross-flow System for Ultrafiltration/Nanofiltration Membrane Performance Testing
Published on: February 13, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Ion Exchange
Aquaporins
Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct...
Ion-Exchange Chromatography
Reabsorption and Secretion in the Loop of Henle
Reabsorption and Secretion in the DCT and Collecting Duct
The distal...