1
|
Donnakatte Neelalochana V, Tomasino E, Di Maggio R, Cotini O, Scardi P, Mammi S, Ataollahi N. Anion Exchange Membranes Based on Chemical Modification of Recycled PET Bottles. ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS 2023; 5:7548-7561. [PMID: 37705716 PMCID: PMC10496110 DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.3c01391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
This study presents an innovative and effective solution for recycling PET bottles as raw for producing anion exchange membranes (AEMs) for electrochemical applications. This approach reduces the demand for pristine materials, a key principle of the circular economy and sustainability. PET was subjected to chemical modification by introducing cationic functional groups followed by methylation and OH- exchange process. The amination synthesis was optimized based on reaction time. The results indicate that ion exchange capacity, water uptake, and swelling ratio properties mainly depend on the degree of cationic functionalization. The optimized AEM exhibits ionic conductivity of 5.3 × 10-2 S·cm-1 and alkaline stability of 432 h in 1 M KOH at 80 °C. The membrane properties before and after the alkaline treatment were investigated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy analysis. Computational chemistry analysis was employed to gain further insights into the membrane degradation mechanisms and pathways under alkaline conditions. This research and its findings are a step toward using recycled materials in the field of AEM technology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Eleonora Tomasino
- Department
of Civil, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Rosa Di Maggio
- Department
of Civil, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Oscar Cotini
- Department
of Civil, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Paolo Scardi
- Department
of Civil, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Stefano Mammi
- Department
of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Narges Ataollahi
- Department
of Civil, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Racchi O, Baldassari R, Araya-Hermosilla E, Mattoli V, Minei P, Pozio A, Pucci A. Polyketone-Based Anion-Exchange Membranes for Alkaline Water Electrolysis. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15092027. [PMID: 37177175 PMCID: PMC10180749 DOI: 10.3390/polym15092027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) are involved in a wide range of applications, including fuel cells and water electrolysis. A straightforward method for the preparation of efficient AEMs consists of polymer functionalization with robust anion-exchange sites. In this work, an aliphatic polyketone was functionalized with 1-(3-aminopropyl)imidazole through the Paal-Knorr reaction, with a carbonyl (CCO %) conversion of 33%. The anion-exchange groups were generated by the imidazole quaternization by using two different types of alkyl halides, i.e., 1,4-iodobutane and 1-iodobutane, with the aim of modulating the degree of crosslinking of the derived membrane. All of the membranes were amorphous (Tg ∼ 30 °C), thermally resistant up to 130 °C, and had a minimum Young's modulus of 372 ± 30 MPa and a maximum of 86 ± 5 % for the elongation at break for the least-crosslinked system. The ionic conductivity of the AEMs was determined at 25 °C by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), with a maximum of 9.69 mS/cm, i.e., comparable with that of 9.66 mS/cm measured using a commercially available AEM (Fumasep-PK-130). Future efforts will be directed toward increasing the robustness of these PK-based AEMs to meet all the requirements needed for their application in electrolytic cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ottavia Racchi
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, Via Moruzzi, 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Rebecca Baldassari
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, Via Moruzzi, 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Esteban Araya-Hermosilla
- Center for Materials Interfaces @SSSA, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio, 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy
| | - Virgilio Mattoli
- Center for Materials Interfaces @SSSA, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio, 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy
| | | | - Alfonso Pozio
- ENEA CR Casaccia, Via Anguillarese, 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Pucci
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, Via Moruzzi, 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- CISUP, Centro per l'Integrazione della Strumentazione dell'Università di Pisa, Lungarno Pacinotti, 43, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tomasino E, Mukherjee B, Ataollahi N, Scardi P. Water Uptake in an Anion Exchange Membrane Based on Polyamine: A First-Principles Study. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:7418-7428. [PMID: 36121790 PMCID: PMC9527750 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c04115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
An atomistic level study of a single monomer of polyamine interacting with water molecules and hydroxide anions (OH-) was carried out to investigate the role of the polyamine structure in the hydrated morphology of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) for alkaline fuel cells and its influence on ionic conductivity and chemical stability. DFT calculations were performed to find the ground state of the system, studying the interactions of the solvent species with three different regions of the polymer─the amine functional group, the backbone, and the carbonyl group. The hydrophilic/hydrophobic behavior of each segment was determined, with calculated binding energies and Bader charge analysis providing a more quantitative analysis of the interactions and activation and reaction energies computed to investigate the chemical degradation mechanism. The results show the tendency of both OH- and water molecules to form water clusters in the proximity of the ionized amine group. As such, these regions constitute the preferential pathway for ionic conductivity. Besides, the essential role of the water content is pointed out, not only to enhance conductivity but also to reduce degradation in an alkaline environment. The present work provides a baseline to assess the impact of polymer chemistry on the ionic conductivity of the membrane and acts as the first step for the development of high-performance AEMs and for an improvement of the overall performance of the fuel cell.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Tomasino
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano, 77, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Binayak Mukherjee
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano, 77, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Narges Ataollahi
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano, 77, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Paolo Scardi
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano, 77, 38123 Trento, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Liu Q, Wang Z, Sui Z, Shui T, Wang S. A novel anion exchange membrane based on silicone/polyphenylene oxide with excellent ionic conductivity for
AEMFC. POLYM ADVAN TECHNOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/pat.5721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liu
- College of Chemical Engineering Changchun University of Technology Changchun China
| | - Zhe Wang
- College of Chemical Engineering Changchun University of Technology Changchun China
- School of Chemistry and Life Science Changchun University of Technology Changchun China
| | - Zhiyin Sui
- College of Chemical Engineering Changchun University of Technology Changchun China
| | - Tianen Shui
- College of Chemical Engineering Changchun University of Technology Changchun China
| | - Song Wang
- College of Chemical Engineering Changchun University of Technology Changchun China
| |
Collapse
|