A Study on water-splitting characteristics of bipolar membranes for acid/base generation

산/염기 제조를 위한 바이폴라막의 물분해 특성 연구

1. Introduction : The clean technology using ion exchange membranes have drawn attention increasingly with advancement of the membrane synthesis. Ion exchange membranes have been used for diffusion dialysis, electrodialysis, electrodialytic water splitting and electrodeionization. Bipolar membranes(BPM), consisting of a cation exchange layer and an an_ion exchange layer, can convert a salt to an acid and a base without chemical addition. Using the bipolar membrane, a large quantity of industrial wastes containing salts can be reprocessed to generate acids and bases. Recent development of high performance bipolar membranes enables to further expand the potential use of electrodialysis in the chemical industry. The water-splitting mechanism in the bipolar membrane, however, is a controversial subject yet. In this study bipolar membranes were prepared using commercial ion exchange membranes and hydrophilic polymer as a binder to investigate the effects of the interface hydrophilicity on water-splitting efficiency. In addition, the water splitting mechanism by a metal catalyst was discussed.