Metals and alloys bonded on solid polymer electrolyte for electrochemical reduction of pure benzaldehyde without liquid supporting electrolyte

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.

Ultrasonic irradiation effect in the impregnation-reduction process of preparing Pt/Nafion NH(4)(+) sensor

A systematic study on the ultrasonic irradiation effect in the impregnation-reduction (I-R) process for preparing a Pt/Nafion electrode was carried out in a flow-injection system of ammonium ion detection. Both the impregnation and the reduction stages were affected by ultrasonic irradiation which increased the sensing currents of electrodes. Moreover, the effect of ultrasonic irradiation was found more significant in the reduction process than in the impregnation process. The relationship between sensing current and power of ultrasonic irradiation was also obtained. The specific active surface area of the Pt/Nafion electrodes were evaluated by the cyclic voltametric technique. Meanwhile, the surfaces of the electrodes were characterized by XRD and SEM.

Solution-Membrane Equilibrium at Metal-Deposited Cation-Exchange Membranes: Chronopotentiometric Characterization of Metal-Modified Membranes

Copper- and lead-deposited interpolymer cationic membranes have been prepared by electroless plating by an ion-exchange method and characterized by chronopotentiometry and cyclic voltammetry. The parameters such as transition time (tau), Itau1/2, the potential drop (E0) across these membranes immediately after the application of constant current (I), and the height of the potential jump (DeltaE) across the membrane at tau have been measured by chronopotentiometry and compared with those of plain membranes. The approximate percentage of metal coverage and the number of ionic sites masked by the deposited metal in terms of NaCl concentration have been estimated from the differences in Itau1/2 values of plain and metal-deposited membranes. The quantity of metal deposited in a unit area of the membrane surface was measured by differential pulse polarography. The oxidation and reduction peak potentials corresponding to Cu(0)/Cu(II) and Pb(0)/Pb(II) couples were identified by cyclic voltammetry at pH 2.8 and 4.5 of 0.2 M CH3COONa-H2SO4. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.