Quaternized Polysulfone Cross-Linked N, N-Dimethyl Chitosan-Based Anion-Conducting Membranes

Gautam Das; Chae Yeon Kim; Dong Ho Kang; Bo Hyeon Kim; Hyon Hee Yoon

doi:10.3390/polym11030512

Quaternized Polysulfone Cross-Linked N, N-Dimethyl Chitosan-Based Anion-Conducting Membranes

Polymers (Basel). 2019 Mar 18;11(3):512. doi: 10.3390/polym11030512.

Authors

Gautam Das¹, Chae Yeon Kim², Dong Ho Kang³, Bo Hyeon Kim⁴, Hyon Hee Yoon⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gachon University, Gyeonggi-Do 461-701, Korea. gautam2706@gmail.com.
² Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gachon University, Gyeonggi-Do 461-701, Korea. kcy9021@gmail.com.
³ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gachon University, Gyeonggi-Do 461-701, Korea. kdh459@naver.com.
⁴ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gachon University, Gyeonggi-Do 461-701, Korea. kbh1610@naver.com.
⁵ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gachon University, Gyeonggi-Do 461-701, Korea. hhyoon@gachon.ac.kr.

Abstract

Anion-conducting membranes were obtained following the cross-linking of 1,4-diazoniabicycle[2.2.2]octane functionalized-polysulfone with N,N-dimethyl chitosan (DMC). The ionic conductivity of the composite membranes was controlled by the amount of DMC. The influence of the amount of DMC on water uptake, swelling ratio, and ionic conductivity of the obtained membrane was studied. The membrane with 2 wt% DMC exhibited an ionic conductivity of 54 mS/cm and 94 mS/cm at 25 °C and 70 °C, respectively. The membrane showed good dimensional stability under hydrated conditions. A urea/O₂ fuel cell, built using the composite membrane, exhibited a peak power density of 4.4 mW/cm² with a current density of 16.22 mA/cm² at 70 °C.

Keywords: anion conducting membrane; chitosan; composite; urea fuel cell.