Recent Advances in Fluorine-Free Membranes

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications for Other Areas".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 1053

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Sustainable Energy Technology; SINTEF Industry, 7034 Trondheim, Norway
Interests: ion-exchange membranes; fuel cells; electrolyzers; electrochemistry; polymer chemistry; radiation chemistry

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Guest Editor
Department of Sustainable Energy Technology; SINTEF Industry, 7034 Trondheim, Norway
Interests: electrochemistry; polymer chemistry; fuel cells; electrolyzers; ion-exchange membranes

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Guest Editor
Institute on Membrane Technology-Research National Council, CNR-ITM, 87036 Rende, Italy
Interests: advanced membranes manufacturing; nanomaterials; smart surfaces and coatings; green membrane technologies; sustainable solutions for water and environmental remediation; intelligent membranes for applications in textiles and cultural heritage assets; gels
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are versatile compounds found in a wide range of products. Their properties—such as chemical resistance, thermal stability, water and oil repellence, low friction, electrical insulation, and durability—have led to their extensive use across various industries. However, despite these benefits, the persistence and potential health and environmental risks associated with PFASs have led to increased scrutiny and efforts to find safer alternatives.

Growing environmental awareness and regulatory pressure have prompted the active development of fluorine-free alternatives, thereby facilitating advances in membrane technology. Fluorine-free membranes offer versatility and sustainability, adhering to environmental safety regulations while ensuring safe and clean processing without compromising performance and durability.

Their unique properties have led to their increased adoption in water treatment, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, food and beverage production, and energy conversion devices. 

This Special Issue aims to collect contributions on the most recent advances in the field of fluorine-free membrane materials, and it invites reviews, critical reviews, perspectives, methods, and original research articles on the following topics: (i) the design and synthesis of novel fluorine-free membranes with enhanced properties, (ii) characterization and modeling of physicochemical properties, (iii) comparison with state-of-the-art PFASs, (iv) degradation and stability studies, (v) use in water treatment technologies, and (vi) application in energy conversion devices.

Dr. Tamas Nemeth
Dr. Patrick Fortin
Dr. Annarosa Gugliuzza
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • membrane materials
  • water filtration
  • membrane separation
  • ion exchange membranes
  • fluorine-free membranes

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 4920 KiB  
Article
Novel, Fluorine-Free Membranes Based on Sulfonated Polyvinyl Alcohol and Poly(ether-block-amide) with Sulfonated Montmorillonite Nanofiller for PEMFC Applications
by Manhal H. Ibrahim Al-Mashhadani, Gábor Pál Szijjártó, Zoltán Sebestyén, Zoltán Károly, Judith Mihály and András Tompos
Membranes 2024, 14(10), 211; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes14100211 - 1 Oct 2024
Viewed by 702
Abstract
Novel blend membranes containing S-PVA and PEBAX 1657 with a blend ratio of 8:2 (referred to as SPP) were prepared using a solution-casting technique. In the manufacturing process, sulfonated montmorillonite (S-MMT) in ratios of 0%, 3%, 5%, and 7% was used as a [...] Read more.
Novel blend membranes containing S-PVA and PEBAX 1657 with a blend ratio of 8:2 (referred to as SPP) were prepared using a solution-casting technique. In the manufacturing process, sulfonated montmorillonite (S-MMT) in ratios of 0%, 3%, 5%, and 7% was used as a filler. The crystallinity of composite membranes has been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the interaction between the components was evaluated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). With increasing filler content, good compatibility between the components due to hydrogen bonds was established, which ultimately resulted in improved tensile strength and chemical stability. In addition, due to the sulfonated moieties of S-MMT, the highest ion exchange capacity (0.46 meq/g) and water uptake (51.61%) can be achieved at the highest filler content with an acceptable swelling degree of 22.65%. The composite membrane with 7% S-MMT appears to be suitable for application in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Amongst the membranes studied, this membrane achieved the highest current density and power density in fuel cell tests, which were 149.5 mA/cm2 and 49.51 mW/cm2. Our fluorine-free composite membranes can become a promising new membrane family in PEMFC applications, offering an alternative to Nafion membranes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Fluorine-Free Membranes)
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