A NEW CLASS OF IONOMER MEMBRANES

IONOMER MEMBRANES ARE PRESENTLY USED IN DESALINATION, WASTE WATER CLEANUP, AND CHEMICAL PRODUCTION. USE OF A MEMBRANE MATERIAL WITH LOWER IONIC RESISTIVITY THAN IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE WOULD REDUCE THE ENERGY EXPENDITURE IN ALL OF THESE PROCESSES. IN ADDITION, LOWER PRODUCTION COST AND IMPROVED STABILITY WOULD ACCELERATE THEIR INCORPORATION INTO NEW INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT PLANS TO DEVELOP A NEW CLASS OF IONOMER MEMBRANES, CONTAINING POLYMERS MADE FROM MONOMERS OF SUPER ACIDS WITH PK <-1.0 AND LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF ABOUT 200 G/MOLE. THE NEW MEMBRANES WILL COMBINE THE PROPERTIES OF LOW RESISTANCE, GOOD STABILITY, AND LOW COST. RESEARCH IN PHASE I OF THE PROJECT ALLOWS THE SYNTHESIS OF MONOMERS TO MAKE TWO POLYMERS OF THE NEW CLASS FROM LOW COST, READILY AVAILABLE, STARTING MATERIALS. IN THIS APPROACH THE MONOMERS ARE POLYMERIZED BY RADICAL POLYMERIZATION AND HYDROLYZED TO FORM IONOMER MEMBRANES. ONE POLYMER WILL HAVE A HYDROCARBON AND THE OTHER A PERFLUORINATED BACKBONE. PHASE I OF THE PROJECT WILL EVALUATE THE IONIC RESISTIVITY, EQUIVALENT WEIGHT, SORPTION, AND THERMAL, CHEMICAL, AND OXIDATIVE STABILITY OF THESE MEMBRANES. PHASE II OF THE PROJECT WILL TEST THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MEMBRANES IN SEVERAL SEPARATION APPLICATIONS.