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Asymmetric sulfonated polysulfone cation exchange membranes prepared by non-solvent induced phase separation for reverse electrodialysis using desalination brines

Aquino, Marco ; Santoro, Sergio ; Avci, Ahmet Halil LU ; Tufa, Ramato Ashu ; Bouzek, Karel ; Straface, Salvatore ; La Russa, Mauro Francesco ; Davoli, Mariano ; Politano, Antonio and Politano, Grazia Giuseppina , et al. (2025) In Electrochimica Acta 541.
Abstract

The transition to sustainable energy is crucial for modern society, and Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) offers a promising method for harvesting energy from salinity gradients. However, large-scale deployment of RED is constrained by efficiency limitations and the high cost of ion exchange membranes. This study focuses on the development of novel asymmetric cation exchange membranes (CEMs) based on sulfonated polysulfone (SPSf) prepared via non-solvent induced phase inversion (NIPS). The highest degree of sulfonation achieved was 0.50, which optimized the balance between electrochemical membrane properties and the processability for CEMs preparation. CEMs properties were further fine-tuned by adjusting the polymer solution composition,... (More)

The transition to sustainable energy is crucial for modern society, and Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) offers a promising method for harvesting energy from salinity gradients. However, large-scale deployment of RED is constrained by efficiency limitations and the high cost of ion exchange membranes. This study focuses on the development of novel asymmetric cation exchange membranes (CEMs) based on sulfonated polysulfone (SPSf) prepared via non-solvent induced phase inversion (NIPS). The highest degree of sulfonation achieved was 0.50, which optimized the balance between electrochemical membrane properties and the processability for CEMs preparation. CEMs properties were further fine-tuned by adjusting the polymer solution composition, with optimal performance achieved using a 20 wt% of 2-propanol as co-solvent in dimethylformamide. Electrochemical characterization under various saline conditions demonstrated favourable transport properties of the optimized CEMs. When tested in RED, the membrane achieved a maximum power density of 220 mW·m⁻² per cell pair under a 0.1 M/0.5 M NaCl gradient, comparable to commercial CEMs under similar conditions. These results highlight the potential of the developed membranes to advance RED technology, providing an economically viable and efficient solution for salinity gradient energy conversion.

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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Brine, Cation exchange membranes, Reverse electrodialysis, Salinity gradient energy, Sulfonated polysulfone
in
Electrochimica Acta
volume
541
article number
147292
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:105015720948
ISSN
0013-4686
DOI
10.1016/j.electacta.2025.147292
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
567f4cec-f539-4b4c-aa22-c7e710cfb6ab
date added to LUP
2025-10-03 13:35:32
date last changed
2025-10-03 13:35:45
@article{567f4cec-f539-4b4c-aa22-c7e710cfb6ab,
  abstract     = {{<p>The transition to sustainable energy is crucial for modern society, and Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) offers a promising method for harvesting energy from salinity gradients. However, large-scale deployment of RED is constrained by efficiency limitations and the high cost of ion exchange membranes. This study focuses on the development of novel asymmetric cation exchange membranes (CEMs) based on sulfonated polysulfone (SPSf) prepared via non-solvent induced phase inversion (NIPS). The highest degree of sulfonation achieved was 0.50, which optimized the balance between electrochemical membrane properties and the processability for CEMs preparation. CEMs properties were further fine-tuned by adjusting the polymer solution composition, with optimal performance achieved using a 20 wt% of 2-propanol as co-solvent in dimethylformamide. Electrochemical characterization under various saline conditions demonstrated favourable transport properties of the optimized CEMs. When tested in RED, the membrane achieved a maximum power density of 220 mW·m⁻² per cell pair under a 0.1 M/0.5 M NaCl gradient, comparable to commercial CEMs under similar conditions. These results highlight the potential of the developed membranes to advance RED technology, providing an economically viable and efficient solution for salinity gradient energy conversion.</p>}},
  author       = {{Aquino, Marco and Santoro, Sergio and Avci, Ahmet Halil and Tufa, Ramato Ashu and Bouzek, Karel and Straface, Salvatore and La Russa, Mauro Francesco and Davoli, Mariano and Politano, Antonio and Politano, Grazia Giuseppina and Aceti, Dante Maria and Palermo, Giovanna and Curcio, Efrem}},
  issn         = {{0013-4686}},
  keywords     = {{Brine; Cation exchange membranes; Reverse electrodialysis; Salinity gradient energy; Sulfonated polysulfone}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Electrochimica Acta}},
  title        = {{Asymmetric sulfonated polysulfone cation exchange membranes prepared by non-solvent induced phase separation for reverse electrodialysis using desalination brines}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2025.147292}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.electacta.2025.147292}},
  volume       = {{541}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}