• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.101-113
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• 2016

In this study, to improve the water flux of porous hydrophobic membranes, various water-soluble polymers including neutral, cationic and anionic polymers were adsorbed using 'salting-out' method. The adsorbed hydrophobic membrane surfaces were characterized mainly via the measurements of contact angles and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. To enhance the durability of the modified membranes, the water-soluble polymers such poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA) and found to be resistant for more than 2 months in vigorously stirred water. The water flux was much more increased when the ionic polymers used as the coating materials rather than the neutral polymer and in this case, about 70% of $0.31L/m^2{\cdot}h$ (LMH) to 0.50 LMH was increased when 300 mg/L of polyacrylamide (PAAm) was used as the coating agents. Among the cationic coating polymers such as poly(styrene sulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSSA_MA), poly(acrylic acid-comaleic acid) (PAM) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), PSSA_MA was found to be the best in terms of contact angle and water flux. In the case of PSSA_MA, the water flux was enhanced about 80%. The low concentration of the coating solution was better to hydrophilize while the high concentration inclined to block the pores on the membrane surfaces. The best coating condition was found: (1) coating concentration 150 to 300 mg/L, (2) ionic strength 0.15, (3) coating time 20 min.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.153-158
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• 2006

The crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) mwmbranes with poly(styrene sulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSSA-MA) were used to measure the water vapor and air permeabilities at 25 and $35^{\circ}C$. In addition, the contact angles of crosslinked PVA membranes were observed and increased with PSSA-MA contents. The water vapor permeability of 15300 Baller (1 Baller=$10^{-10}cm^3(STP){\cdot}cm/cm^2{\cdot}s{\cdot}cmHg$) was shown the maximum value at $35^{\circ}C$ when PSSA-MA=7 wt% membrane was used. The gas permeability of 146 Barrer was indicated the maximum at PSSA-MA=7 wt% at $35^{\circ}C$ and $P(H_2O)/P(Air)$ was the highest value 109.2 at $25^{\circ}C$.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.299-305
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• 2011

This study deals with the preparation of polymeric electrolyte membranes having high durability for the application of fuel cells. The membranes under investigation were prepared the impregnation to porous polyethylene membranes with poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA), poly(styrene sulfonic acid-co-maleic acid), and (PSSA-MA)3-(trihydroxysilyl)-1-propanesulfonic acid (THS-PSA). To characterize the resulting membranes, the water contents, the contact angles, FT-IR, the proton conductivity and the the modulus were measured. The proton conductivity of 30% content of THS-PSA at $55^{\circ}C$ gave excellent $1.27{\times}10^{-1}S/cm$ and the mechanical strength was improved 7 times higher up to the THS-PSA content 15%, as a result, the durability was elevated extensively.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.96-103
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• 2009

A series of organic-inorganic composite membranes from poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) graft copolymer electrolyte and heteropolyacid (HPA) were prepared for proton conducting membranes. First, poly(vinyl chloride)-g-poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PVC-g-PSSA) was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using direct initiation of the secondary chlorines of PVC. HPA nanoparticles were then incorporated into the PVC-g-PSSA graft copolymer though the hydrogen bonding interactions, as confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. The proton conductivity of the composite membranes increased from 0.049 to 0.068 S/cm at room temperature with HPA contents up to 0.3 weight traction of HPA, presumably due to both the intrinsic conductivity of HPA particles and the enhanced acidity of the sulfonic acid of the graft copolymer. The water uptake decreased from 130 to 84% with the increase of HPA contents up to 0.45 of HPA weight traction, resulting from the decrease in number of water absorption sites due to hydrogen bonding interaction between the HPA particles and the polymer matrix. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated the enhancement of thermal stabilities of the composite membranes with increasing concentration of HPA.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.156-159
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• 2004

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.270-270
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• 2006

We have prepared polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) for DMFC from polymer mixture of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(vinyl alcohol-co-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) (AP-2) changing the AP-2 content. The proton conductivity(${\Box}$) and methanol permeability(P) of the PEMs increase with increasing AP-2 content because the water content of the PEMs increases with increasing AP-2 content. The proton permselectivity of the PEMs, which is defined as ${\Box}={\Box}/P$, indicates higher values than that of $Nafion{(R)}$117.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.240-249
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• 2004

Crosslinked PVA membranes were achieved by esterification between the hydroxyl groups of PVA and carboxyl group of sulfosuccinic acid (SSA). SSA containing sulfonic group was used as a chemical crosslinking agent as well as a donor of fixed anionic group ($-SO_3$H). The crosslinking density of membranes was controlled by SSA content and calculated using polar and non-polar solvent. The crosslinking density measured by using non-polar solvent such as xylene and benzene increases with SSA content. However, using the polar solvent such as water and methanol, the crosslinking density increases up to SSA content of 20 wt% and above the content decrease due to sulfonic acid groups. The crosslinked PVA membranes were studied in relation with water diffusion coefficient and mechanical property as well as proton conductivity and methanol permeability as a function of crosslinking density. These properties were all dependent on the effect of SSA content.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.412-417
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• 2007

In the present study, crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes were prepared at different temperatures using poly(styrene sulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSSA_MA) (PVA:PSSA_MA = 1:9). The hybrid mem-branes were prepared by varying the TEOS content between 5 and 30 wt%. The PSSA_MA was used both as a crosslinking agent and the hydrophilic group donor ($-SO_3H$ and/or-COOH). The proton conductivity increased with up to 20 wt% TEOS, but decreased above this level, although the water content decreased with increasing TEOS content. This result suggests that the silica doped into the membrane improved the formation of proton-conduction pathways due to the absorption of molecular water. The PVA/PSSA_MA/Silica containing TEOS 20% showed both high proton conductivity (0.026 S/cm at $90^{\circ}C$) and low methanol permeability ($5.55{\times}10^{-7}cm^2/s$).

• Membrane Journal
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.332-339
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• 2018

In order to investigate the effect of ion exchange capacity of ion exchange membranes on the salt removal efficiency in the membrane capacitive deionization process, sulfosuccinic acid (SSA) as the cross linking agent was added to poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) and sulfonic acid-co-maleic acid (PSSA_MA) was put into PVA at different concentrations of 10, 50 and 90 wt% relative to PVA. As the content of PSSA_MA increased, the water content and ion exchange capacity increased and the salt removal efficiency was also increased in the membrane capacitive deionization process. The highest salt removal efficiency was 65.5% at 100 mg/L NaCl feed at a flow rate, 15 mL/min and adsorption, 1.4 V/5 min for PSSA_MA 90 wt%.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.132-137
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• 2008

Nanofiltration membranes were prepared based on coating a sulfonated comb-like copolymer layer on top of a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) support. The comb-like copolymer comprising poly(vinyl chloride) backbone and poly(styrene sulfonic acid) side chains, i.e. PVC-g-PSSA was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using direct initiation of the secondary chlorines of PVC. The successful synthesis of graft copolymers were confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance ($^1H$-NMR), FT-IR spectroscopy and wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS). Composite nanofiltration membranes consisting PVC-g-PSSA as a top layer exhibited the increase of both rejections and solution flux with increasing PSSA concentration. This performance enhancement is presumably due to the increase of SO3H groups and membrane hydrophilicity. The rejections of composite membranes containing 71 wt% of PSSA were 88% for $Na_2SO_4$ and 33% for NaCl, and the solution flux were 26 and $34L/m^2h$, respectively, at 0.3 MPa pressure.