ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Electrochemical and mechanical stability of ion-exchange membranes in alkaline solution

Pavel Bulejko, Eliška Stránská, and Kristýna Weinertová

Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Laboratory, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic

E-mail: Eliska.Stranska@membrain.cz

Abstract: This paper focuses on the transport and mechanical properties of ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) in an aqueous NaOH solution. Heterogeneous IEMs based on styrene–divinylbenzene and polyethylene reinforced with polyester (PES) or polyamide (PAD) fabric were studied. The IEMs were exposed to a 5% NaOH solution for 30 and 90 days and the changes in electrochemical resistance, transport number and permselectivity were evaluated. Moreover, the structure of the IEMs was observed after exposure and their mechanical properties were evaluated. The results show that NaOH solution has the most damaging effect, especially to PES cloth and the membrane as whole, mainly due to dimensional changes. Furthermore, changes in electrochemical resistance were observed.

Keywords: Ion-exchange membrane, Electrochemical properties, Mechanical properties, Sodium hydroxide

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-016-0122-3

Chemical Papers 71 (7) 1303–1309 (2017)