Electro-controllable ion exchange membrane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019193029-A1
Application number	US-201816226774-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 20, 2018
Priority date	Dec 20, 2017
Publication date	Jun 27, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A conductive nanoporous membrane system has a first ion exchange membrane formed from a nanoporous substrate that is coated with a metal or carbon or conductive polymers to form a conductive membrane, a second ion exchange membrane that is also formed from a nanoporous substrate coated with a metal to form a conductive membrane is positioned in spaced relation to the first conductive membrane and coupled to a voltage source; the negatively potential membrane acts as a cation exchange membrane in the presence of an electrolyte, and the positively connected electrode behave as anodic exchange membrane in the presence of an electrolyte due to the formation of electrical double layers at the interface between metal and liquid electrolyte.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A conductive nanoporous membrane system, comprising
a first ion exchange membrane formed from a first substrate and a first conductive layer applied to the first substrate so that the first ion exchange membrane is conductive; a second ion exchange membrane formed from a second substrate and a second conductive layer applied to the second substrate so that the second ion exchange membrane is conductive; an electrolyte associated with at least one of the first ion exchange membrane and the second ion exchange membrane; and a voltage source coupled to the first ion exchange membrane and the second ion exchange membrane so that one of the first ion exchange membrane and the second ion exchange membrane acts as an anion exchange member and the other of the first ion exchange membrane and the second ion exchange membrane acts as a cation exchange membrane.

2 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte is positioned between and in contact with the first ion exchange membrane and the second ion exchange membrane.

3 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte is saturated into at least one of the first ion exchange membrane and the second ion exchange membrane.

4 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 1 , wherein the first substrate is formed from a composition selected from the group consisting of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO), polypyrrole, polyacetylene, polycarbonate (PCTE), polyethersulfone (PES), and polymer-carbon nanotubes and the second substrate is formed from a composition selected from the group consisting of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO), polypyrrole, polyacetylene, polycarbonate (PCTE), polyethersulfone (PES), and polymer-carbon nanotubes.

5 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive layer is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of metal, carbon, and conductive polymer and the second conductive layer is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of metal, carbon, and conductive polymer.

6 . A conductive nanoporous membrane system, comprising
a first ion exchange membrane formed from a first substrate and a first conductive layer applied to the first substrate so that the first ion exchange membrane is conductive; a conductive sheet; an electrolyte associated with at least one of the first ion exchange membrane and the conductive sheet; and a voltage source coupled to the first ion exchange membrane and the conductive sheet such that the first ion exchange membrane acts as one of an anion exchange member and a cation exchange membrane.

7 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 6 , wherein the electrolyte is positioned between and in contact with the first ion exchange membrane and the conductive sheet.

8 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 6 , wherein the electrolyte is saturated into the first ion exchange membrane.

10 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 6 , wherein the first ion exchange membrane is coupled to the voltage source to act as the anion exchange member.

11 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 6 , wherein the first ion exchange membrane is coupled to the voltage source to act as the cation exchange membrane.

12 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 6 , wherein the first substrate is formed from a composition selected from the group consisting of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO), polypyrrole, polyacetylene, polycarbonate (PCTE), polyethersulfone (PES), and polymer-carbon nanotubes.

13 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 6 , wherein the first conductive layer is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of metal, carbon, and conductive polymer.

14 . A conductive nanoporous membrane system, comprising
an ion exchange membrane formed from a substrate having a first side and a second side, a first conductive layer applied to the first side of the substrate, and a second conductive layer applied to the second side of the substrate; an electrolyte associated with the first ion exchange membrane and the conductive sheet; and a voltage source coupled to the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer so that the ion exchange membrane acts as a bipolar membrane.

15 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 14 , wherein the ion exchange membrane is positioned in the electrolyte.

16 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 14 , wherein the ion exchange membrane is saturated with the electrolyte.

17 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 14 , wherein the substrate is formed from a composition selected from the group consisting of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO), polypyrrole, polyacetylene, polycarbonate (PCTE), polyethersulfone (PES), and polymer-carbon nanotubes.

18 . The conductive nanoporous membrane system of claim 14 , wherein the first conductive layer is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of metal, carbon, and conductive polymer and the second conductive layer is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of metal, carbon, and conductive polymer.

Assignees

• Hosein Ian
• Chen fu hao
• Univ Syracuse

Inventors

• Hosein Ian
• Chen Fu-Hao

Classifications

• C08J5/2287

  After-treatment · CPC title

• H01M8/227

  Dialytic cells or batteries; Reverse electrodialysis cells or batteries · CPC title

• B01D2325/42

  Ion-exchange membranes · CPC title

• B01D2325/26

  Electrical properties · CPC title

• B01D69/02

  characterised by their properties · CPC title