Polystyrene-co-divinylbenzene (PS-co-DVB) asymmetric membranes were prepared. In order to control their structure and mechanical properties the degree of cross-linking and the composition of casting solution were varied. The rubber added PS-DVB membranes was also prepared to overcome the mechanical limitation of cross-linked membrane, and their mechanical properties were investigated. It was revealed that the concentration of polymer in the casting solution affected the determination of skin formation. When the PS-co-DVB membrane consists of styrene-butadiene (SB) rubber or liquid polybutadiene (PBD), the structures formed showed that the PS content in the PS/DVB system played an important role in determining the porous sublayer structure.

The electrochemical properties of Nafion type membranes as a function of temperature to examine the key factors affecting the cathodic protection process at low temperatures was investigated in this study. Variable temperature experiments for AC impedance, DC resistance were conducted. The resistances of 3 Nafion membranes (N 324, N 450, N MAC) were measured in 30% KOH (aq) for a range of temperatures between $-30^{\circ}C$ and room temperature. Membrane resistance increases exponentially with decreasing temperature. This behaviour is most significant at operational temperatures below $0^{\circ}C$. These membranes are stable under the low temperature and caustic conditions of the heat exchange system, but they place a much higher restriction on the cathodic protection of the stainless heat exchange stack. N 450 has the lowest AC impedence and DC resistance at temperatures below $0^{\circ}C$ and consequently is most suitable membrane of the three, for low temperature applications.

Water softening is a very promising field for membranes and especially ultra low pressure membranes. Nanofiltration membranes based on pore-filling technology was prepared by using a new technique: the in-situ cross-linking. This route involves introducing a pre-formed polymer into the pores of a host membrane and then locking the polymer in the pores by in-situ cross-linking with an appropriate reagent. By this way, it is possible to make robust and competitive, pore-filled, anion-exchange membranes with excellent control over the properties of the incorporated gel without affecting the host membrane. In this paper, the possibilities of tuning such membranes for ultra low pressure water softening was examined by altering pore-filling chemistry (by changing cross-linking and aminating reagents). The results showed that tuning the chemistry of the pore-filling has important effects. In particularly, it had been shown that the correct selection of cross-linking reagent was not only essential to get pore-filled membranes but it could control their properties. Moreover, the aminating reagent could improve membrane performance. It was found that an increase in hydrophobicity could improve the Darcy permeability.

Proton conducting composite membranes were prepared by solution blending of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene)-graft-poly(sulfopropyl methacrylate) (P(VDF-CTFE)-g-PSPMA) graft copolymer and heteropolyacid (HPA). The P(VDF-CTFE)-g-PSPMA graft copolymer was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using direct initiation of the secondary chlorines of P(VDF-CTFE). FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that HPA nanoparticles were incorporated into the graft copolymer via hydrogen bonding interactions. The water uptake of membranes continuously decreased with increasing HP A concentration up to 45wt%, after which it slightly increased. It is presumably due to the decrease in number of water absorption sites due to hydrogen bonding interaction between the HP A particles and the polymer matrix. The proton conductivity of membranes increased with increasing HPA concentration up to 45wt%, resulting from both the intrinsic conductivity of HP A particles and the enhanced acidity of the sulfonic acid of the graft copolymer.

The Gongji stream water of Chuncheon city was filtrated by 2 kinds of tubular alumina ceramic MF membranes with periodic $N_2$-back-flushing. $N_2$-back-flushing time (BT) was changed in $0{\sim}50$ sec at fixed filtration time (FT), or back-flushing period, of 4 min for NCMT-5231 membrane ($0.05\;{\mu}m$). Then, FT was changed in $0{\sim}32$ min at fixed BT of 40 sec for NCMT-7231 $0.1{\mu}m)$). In the viewpoints of total permeate volume ($V_T$), dimensionless permeate flux ($J/J_0$) and resistance of membrane fouling ($R_f$), the optimal $N_2$-BT was 50 sec, which was the longest BT, at 4 min FT for NCMT-5231. It means the longest BT was the most effective to minimize the membrane fouling, and we could acquire the most $V_T$. But the optimal FT for NCMT-7231 was 16 min in the viewpoint of $V_T$, and was 8 min in the viewpoints of $J/J_0$ and $R_f$ at fixed BT of 40 sec. The rejection rates were excellent as $80.6{\sim}96.6\;%$ for turbidity, $35.2{\sim}58.4%$ for $NH_3$-N, $16.3{\sim}45.2%$ for T-P and $16.3{\sim}45.2%$ for $COD_{Mn}$. However, the rejection rate of T-N was very low as $2.7{\sim}13.4%$ and it of TDS below 6.1%.

In this study periodic water-back-flushing using permeate water was performed to minimize membrane fouling and to enhance permeate flux in tubular ceramic micro filtration system for Gongji stream water treatment in Chuncheon city. The filtration time (FT) 2 min with periodic 6 sec water-back-flushing showed the highest value of dimensionless permeate flux ($J/J_0$), and the lowest value of resistance of membrane fouling ($R_f$), and we acquired the highest total permeate volume ($V_T$) of 7.44L. Also in the results of BT effect at fixed FT 10 min, BT (back-flushing time) 20 sec showed the lowest value of $R_f$ and the highest value of $J/J_0$, and we could be obtained the highest $V_T$ of 8.04 L. Consequently FT 10 min and BT 20 sec could be the optimal condition in Gongji stream water treatment. Then the average rejection rates of pollutants by our tubular ceramic MF system were 93.8% for Turbidity, 20.7% for $COD_{Mn}$, 39.2% for $NH_3$-N and 31.5% for T-P.

Polyelectrolyte complex based on two anionic polysaccharides, composed of sodium alginate and carrageenan, were prepared by interacting with divalent calcium ions in solution. The effects of annealing on the structural deformation of polyelectrolyte complex and on their characteristics at removing water from a methanol mixture from the point of molecular sieve were investigated and discussed. The result showed that the structural deformation of the annealed polyelectrolyte complex has an effect on the free volume between these polymer chains and the chelate segments such a shrinking of the overall morphology, which act as a molecular sieve in the separation of methanol and water mixtures.

Optimization of ionomer solution was conducted in order to improve the performance of MEAs in PEMPC. The interface between membrane and electrodes in MEAs is crucial region determining fuel cell performance as well as ORR reaction at cathode. Through the modification of Nafion ionomer content at the interface between membrane and electrodes, an optimal content was obtained with Nafion 115 membranes. Two times higher current density was obtained with the outer Nafion sprayed MEA compared with the non-sprayed one. In addition, the symmetrical impedance spectroscopy mode (SM) exhibited that the resistances of membrane area, proton hydration, and charge transfer decreased as the outer Nafion is sprayed. From the polarization curves and SM, the highest current density and the lowest resistance was obtained at the outer ionomer content of $0.15\;mg\;cm^{-2}$.