Modification of ion-exchange membrane used for separation of protons and metallic cations and characterization of the membrane by current-voltage curves

The ionic transport properties of several cations (H+, Na+, and Zn2+) across sulfonated ion-exchange membranes modified with an amine were investigated by the measurement of current-voltage curves to determine the effect of the surface modification of the membrane. The membrane was modified by chlorosulfonation and amination with a diamine (N,N-dimethylethylenediamine) and an amine (isoamylamine) to form a sulfonamide bond between amine groups and the surface layer. In the case of the modification with the diamine, the terminal amine was protonated in acidic media or quaternized with methyl iodide. The presence of a positively charged layer on the two sides of the membrane strongly decreased the limiting current flowing across the membrane in the presence of a 1:1 electrolyte such as HCl or HNO3 due to an increase of the resistance of the membrane. In the case of divalent cations such as Na+ and Zn2+, electrostatic repulsion also contributes to the decrease of the limiting current. The presence of divalent anions seems to increase the limiting current somewhat due to their preconcentration within the cationic layer, which facilitates their subsequent transport across the membrane. When only one face of the membrane was modified, the current-voltage measurements showed that the membrane did not behave like a bipolar membrane. For one-side (under forward polarization) and two-side modified membranes, counterions are slightly blocked in the membrane by the cationic layer, which led to a decrease of the membrane conductivity during electrodialysis.