• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.411-426
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• 2022

Energy plays a significant role in modern lifestyle because of our extensive reliance over energy-operating devices. Therefore, there is a need for alternative and green energy resources that can fulfill the energy demand. For this, fuel cell (FCs) especially anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) have gained tremendous attention over the other (FCs) due to their fast reaction kinetics without using noble catalyst and allow to use of cheaper polymers with high performance. But lack of highly conductive, chemically, and mechanically stable anion exchange membrane (AEM) still main obstacle to the development of high performance AEMFCs. Therefore, graphene-based polymer composite membranes came into the existence as AEMs for the FCs. The exceptional properties of the graphene help to improve the performance of AEMs. Still, there are lot of challenges in the graphene derivatives based AEMs because of their high tendency of agglomeration in polymer matrix which reduced their potential. To overcome this issue surface modification of graphene derivatives is necessary to restrict their agglomeration and conserved their potential features that can help to improve the performance of AEM. Therefore, this review focus on the surface modification of graphene derivatives and their role in the fabrication of AEMs for the FCs.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.412-419
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• 2023

Anion exchange membrane electrolysis is considered a promising next-generation hydrogen production technology that can produce low-cost, clean hydrogen. However, anion exchange membrane electrolysis technology is in its early stages of development and requires intensive research on electrodes, which are a key component of the catalyst-system interface. In this study, we optimized the pressure conditions of the hot-pressing process to manufacture cobalt oxide electrodes for the development of a high uniformity and high adhesion electrode production process for the oxygen evolution reaction. As the pressure increased, the reduction of pores within the electrode and increased densification of catalytic particles led to the formation of a uniform electrode surface. The cobalt oxide electrode optimized for pressure conditions exhibited improved catalytic activity and durability. The optimized electrode was used as the anode in an AEMWE single cell, exhibiting a current density of 1.53 A cm^-2 at a cell voltage of 1.85 V. In a durability test conducted for 100 h at a constant current density of 500 mA cm^-2, it demonstrated excellent durability with a low degradation rate of 15.9 mV kh^-1, maintaining 99% of its initial performance.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.276-281
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• 2020

A research was conducted on the removal of ion from the solution involving the alkali metal ion and chlorine ion using ion exchange resin. The cation exchange resin and anion exchange resin was used for the remove of metal ion (Na⁺ and K⁺) and chlorine ion (Cl^-), respectively. In the case of solution A (involving 36,633 ppm of Na⁺ and 57,921 ppm of Cl^-), the Na⁺ ion and Cl^- ion were removed over 99% within 20 min. In the case of solution B (involving 1,638 ppm of K⁺), the K⁺ ion was removed over 99% within 3 min.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.415-424
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• 2017

Commonly cation exchange membranes have been used for vanadium redox flow batteries. However, a severe vanadium ion cross-over causes low energy efficiency. Thus in this study, we prepared 3 different anion exchange membranes to investigate the effect on the membrane properties such as vanadium ion cross-over and long term stability. The base membranes were prepared by an electrolyte pore filling technique using vinyl benzyl chloride (VBC), divinylbenzene (DVB) within a porous polyethylene (PE) substrate. Then 3 different functional amines were introduced into the base membranes, respectively. These resulting membranes were evaluated by physico-chemical properties such as ion exchange capacity, dimensional stability, vanadium ion cross-over and membrane area resistance. Conclusively, TEA-functionalized membrane showed longest term stability than other membranes although all the membranes are similar to coulombic efficiency.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.351-362
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• 2021

All-vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is one of the promising high-capacity energy storage technologies. The ion-exchange membrane (IEM) is a key component influencing the charge-discharge performance and durability of VRFB. In this study, a pore-filled anion-exchange membrane (PFAEM) was fabricated by filling the pores of porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) support with excellent physical and chemical stability to compensate for the shortcomings of the existing hydrocarbon-based IEMs. The use of a thin porous PTFE support significantly lowered the electrical resistance, and the use of the PTFE support and the introduction of a fluorine moiety into the filling ionomer significantly improved the oxidation stability of the membrane. As a result of the evaluation of the charge-discharge performance, the higher the current efficiency was seen by increasing the fluorine content in the PFAEM, and the superior voltage and energy efficiencies were shown owing to the lower electrical resistance compared to the commercial membrane. In addition, it was confirmed that the use of a hydrophobic PTFE support is more preferable in terms of oxidation stability and charge-discharge performance.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.25-35
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• 2022

The adsorption/desorption behavior and separation conditions of vanadium and tungsten ions were investigated using a gel-type anion-exchange resin. In the adsorption experiment with the initial acidity of the solution, the adsorption rate of vanadium was remarkably low in strong acids and bases. Additionally, the adsorption rate of tungsten was low in a strong base. An increase in the reaction temperature increased the adsorption reaction rate and maximum adsorption. The effect of tungsten on the maximum adsorption was minimal. The adsorption isotherms of vanadium and tungsten on the ion-exchange resin were suitable for the Langmuir adsorption isotherms of both the ions. For tungsten, the adsorption isotherms of vanadium and tungsten were polyoxometalate. Both ion-exchange resins were simulated using similar quadratic reaction rate models. Vanadium was desorbed in the aqueous solutions of HCl or NaOH, the desorption characteristics of vanadium and tungsten depended on the desorption solution, and tungsten was desorbed in the aqueous solution of NaOH. It was possible to separate the two ions using the desorption process. The desorption reaction reached equilibrium within 30 min, and more than 90% recovery was possible.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.154-162
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• 2024

Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) are essential components in water electrolysis systems, serving to physically separate the generated hydrogen and oxygen gases while enabling the selective transport of hydroxide ions between electrodes. Key characteristics sought in AEMs include high ion conductivity and robust chemical and mechanical stability in alkaline. In this study, quaternized Poly(terphenyl piperidinium)/cellulose nanocrystals (qPTP/CNC) mixed matrix membrane was fabricated. The polymer matrix, PTP, was synthesized via super-acid polymerization, known for its excellent ion conductivity and alkaline durability. The qPTP/CNC membrane showed a dense and uniform morphology without significant voids or large aggregates at the polymer-nanoparticle interface. The qPTP/CNC membrane containing 2 wt% CNC demonstrated a high ion exchange capacity of 1.90 mmol/g, coupled with low water uptake (9.09%) and swelling ratio (5.56%). Additionally, the qPTP/CNC membrane showed significantly lower resistance and superior alkaline stability (384 hours at 50℃ in 1 M KOH) compared to the commercial FAA-3-50 membrane. These results highlight the potential of hydrophilic additive CNC in enhancing ion conductivity and alkaline durability of ion exchange membranes.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.907-912
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• 2007

Ion exchange resin was used to remove silica ion at ultralow concentration. The effects of temperature, type of ion exchange resin and single/mixed-resin systems on removal efficiency were estimated. As temperature increased, the slope of concentration profile became stiff, and the equilibrium concentration was higher. In the single resin system, the removal of silica was continued up to 400 min, but the silica concentration was recovered to initial concentration after 400 min due to the effect of dissolved $CO_2$. In the mixed-resin system it took about 600 min to reach equilibrium. Because of faster cation exchange reaction than anion exchange reaction, the effect of $CO_2$ could be removed. Based on the experimental results carried out in the mixed-resin system, the selectivity coefficients of silica ion for each ion exchange resin were calculated at some specific temperatures. The temperature dependency of the selectivity coefficient was expressed by the equation of Kraus-Raridon type.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.84-91
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• 2017

In this study, heterogeneous ion exchange membranes were prepared by mixing cation or anion exchange resins and commercial polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) for MCDI process. The mixing ratios of PVDF and ion exchange resins were 1 : 1, 1.4 : 1, 2 : 1, and 3 : 1. We characterized SEM, water content, ion exchange capacity, methanol permeability, and ion conductivity. In the viewpoint of membrane characterization, the blending ratio of 2 : 1 showed the best. For the blending ratio of 2 : 1, heterogeneous cation exchange membrane showed the water content 34%, ion exchange capacity 1.54 meq/g, ion conductivity 0.019 S/cm, and methanol permeability $2.28{\times}10^{-7}{\sim}8.86{\times}10^{-7}cm^2/s$ while In the case of heterogeneous anion exchange membrane, the result showed 37%, 2.18 meq/g, and 0.034 S/cm and $1.46{\times}10^{-7}{\sim}8.66{\times}10^{-7}cm^2/s$.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.61-69
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• 2018

Ion exchange membrane can transfer only cation or anion in electrically conductive fluids. Recent studies have revealed that such selective ion transport can initiate electroconvective instability, resulting vortical fluid motions on the membrane. This so-called electroconvective vortex (a.k.a. electroconvection (EC)) has been in the spotlight for enhancing an ion flux in electrochemical systems. However, EC under shear flow has not been investigated yet, although most related systems operate under pressure-driven flows. In this study, we present the direct visualization platform of EC under shear flow. On the transparent silicone rubber, microscale channels were fabricated between ion exchange membranes, while allowing microscopic visualization of fluid flow and ion concentration changes on the membranes. By using this platform, not only we visualize the existence of EC under shear flow, its unique characteristics are also identified: i) unidirectional vortex pattern, ii) its advection along the shear flow, and iii) shear-sheltering of EC vortices.