Journal
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
Volume 629, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119293
Keywords
Anion exchange membrane; Soft template; Zn2+ion; Molecular dynamics simulation; Micro-phase separation
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [22008021, 21776034, U1663223, 22021005]
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [2020M680039]
- National Key Research and Development Program of China [2019YFE0119200, 2016YFB0101203]
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [DUT20LAB307, DUT21TD101]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
An effective soft-template strategy using Zn2+ metal ions to construct well-ordered ionic conductive channels in imidazolium functionalized polysulfone anion exchange membranes results in improved hydroxide conductivity and larger ionic clusters.
An effective soft-template strategy using Zn2+ metal ions is proposed to construct well-ordered ionic conductive channels in the imidazolium (Im+) functionalized polysulfone anion exchange membranes (AEMs). The divalent Zn2+ ion possesses strong electrostatic interactions to induce better microphase separation. The further removal of the sub-nanoscale water-soluble Zn2+ ions introduces free volumes to connect ionic pathways, meanwhile promotes the secondary aggregation of Im+ groups. Experiment and simulation show that Zn2+ ions organize into Zn2+ self-aggregations and interact with Im+ groups via an electrostatic anion-bridged configuration in the Zn2+ incorporated membranes, and the subsequent Zn2+ removal increases the free volume and induces the rearrangement of Im+ groups to form bigger ionic clusters (up to 7.7 nm) than those in the pristine membrane. By optimizing Zn2+ content, the induced ionic conductive channels are tailored, yielding a 50% improvement of hydroxide conductivity and achieving the top level in the previously reported polysufone-based main-chain-type AEMs. This study suggests a novel and scalable route for regulating micro-phase separations in AEMs and provides theoretical exploration for selecting effective template molecules.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available