Balanced Ionic Conductivity and Permselectivity of Cation Exchange Membranes Prepared from Sulfonated Poly(ether...

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Poly-(ether sulfone) (PES) is a versatile polymer.
• Developing efficient cation exchange membranes (CEMs) is crucial for various electrochemical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize sulfonated poly-(ether sulfone) (S-PES) with tunable properties.
• To evaluate the performance of S-PES membranes as CEMs for desalination and energy generation.

Main Methods:

• Postsulfonation of PES using chlorosulfonic acid.
• Controlled degree of sulfonation (DS) from 13.2% to 36.2%.
• Characterization using elemental analysis, NMR, FT-IR, and performance testing of cast membranes.

Main Results:

• S-PES membranes with varying DS were successfully fabricated.
• The membrane with 32.4% DS exhibited high ionic conductivity (16.85 mS cm⁻¹) and permselectivity (98.0%).
• An optimal balance between conductivity and permselectivity was achieved through DS control.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized S-PES membranes offer a promising alternative to existing CEMs.
• Optimized S-PES membranes show potential for electrodialysis and salinity gradient power generation.
• This study highlights the critical role of DS in tailoring membrane properties.