Surface modification of composite ion exchange membranes by polyaniline

The aim of this work is to develop new selective cation exchange membranes (CEMs) from bivalent to monovalent selectivity by surface functional groups. So, a novel hybrid cation exchange membrane was prepared by polymerization of polyaniline on a composite membrane, made of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and sulfonated PVDF (S-PVDF). Polyaniline was doped with different doping agents and their effect on total salt extraction and selectivity of bivalent to monovalent cations was evaluated. The chemical and morphological properties of hybrid membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Ion exchange capacity (IEC), transport number, ion conductivity and water uptake decreased after surface polymerization. Composite membrane has a good selectivity (∼2) for bivalent and excellent removal of both cations. The hybrid membrane, doped with pTSA has a very high selectivity for monovalent ions (∼7.1) and a high removal of monovalent ions.