Interactions between Nafion resin and protonated dodecylamine modified montmorillonite: A solid state NMR study

A series of nanocomposites have been prepared from perfluorosulfonylfluoride copolymer resin (Nafion) and layered montmorillonite (MMT) modified with protonated dodecylamine by conventional sol-gel intercalation. The structure of these nanocomposite materials have been characterized using FT-IR, elemental analysis, XRD and solid state NMR techniques, including 19F magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR, 19F NMR relaxation time measurements, 29Si MAS, 1H MAS, 1H-13C cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CPMAS), and 1H-13C heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) 2D NMR. The results showed that thermal stability of Nafion was improved moderately by the addition of dodecylamine modified MMT without intercalation. FT-IR and 29Si MAS NMR results indicated that dodecylamine modification did not result in obvious changes in the MMT lattice structure. The XRD results showed that the protonated dodecylamine has been embedded and intercalated into the MMT interlayers, whereas Nafion was not. Elemental analysis results also suggested that some dodecylamine was adsorbed on the surface of MMT. 1H-13C HETCOR 2D NMR experiment clearly indicated that strong electrostatic interactions were present between the NH+3 group of dodecylamine and the fluorine-containing groups (CF3, OCF2, and SCF2) of Nafion resin. Such electrostatic interactions are probably the major contributors for the improved thermal stability of the resultant composite materials.

Recent developments on ion-exchange membranes and electro-membrane processes

Rapid growth of chemical and biotechnology in diversified areas fuels the demand for the need of reliable green technologies for the down stream processes, which include separation, purification and isolation of the molecules. Ion-exchange membrane technologies are non-hazardous in nature and being widely used not only for separation and purification but their application also extended towards energy conversion devices, storage batteries and sensors etc. Now there is a quite demand for the ion-exchange membrane with better selectivities, less electrical resistance, high chemical, mechanical and thermal stability as well as good durability. A lot of work has been done for the development of these types of ion-exchange membranes during the past twenty-five years. Herein we have reviewed the preparation of various types of ion-exchange membranes, their characterization and applications for different electro-membrane processes. Primary attention has been given to the chemical route used for the membrane preparation. Several general reactions used for the preparation of ion-exchange membranes were described. Methodologies used for the characterization of these membranes and their applications were also reviewed for the benefit of readers, so that they can get all information about the ion-exchange membranes at one platform. Although there are large number of reports available regarding preparations and applications of ion-exchange membranes more emphasis were predicted for the usefulness of these membranes or processes for solving certain type of industrial or social problems. More efforts are needed to bring many products or processes to pilot scale and extent their applications.