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Membranes
Special Issues
Design, Synthesis and Applications of Ion Exchange Membranes
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Design, Synthesis and Applications of Ion Exchange Membranes

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Fabrication and Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 4157

Special Issue Editors

Dr. V. María Barragán

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Guest Editor
Department of Structure of Matter, Thermal Physics and Electronics, Faculty of Physics, Complutense University of Madrid, Plaza de Ciencias, 1, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: non-equilibrium thermodynamics; membrane transport processes; ion-exchange membranes; energy conversion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hristo Penchev

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Polymers, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev 103A, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: polybenzimidazoles and solid polymer electrolyte membranes therefrom&mdahs;synthesis; processing and characterization; ion-conductive membranes (both proton- and anion conductive); nanocomposite membranes; inversed and asymmetric membranes; chemically crosslinked membranes/cross-linking; stabilization; novel electrolyte systems, including ionic liquids and eutectics; electrospinning and nanofibers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since its beginnings more than half a century ago, ionic exchange membrane technology now covers many chemical and electrochemistry technology fields. Ion exchange membranes (IEMs), including fully polymeric, ceramic, and hybrid ones, have great potential in diverse applications for industry, public health, and environmental issues, as well as emerging applications in the field of contemporary green energy conversion technology. The technical feasibility of all membrane processes largely depends on the general membrane properties, and there is a significant variation in IEM types. Having the most suitable membrane for a given application constitutes a major challenge; for this reason, IEMs have been extensively studied in both academia and industry. Materials, designs, synthetic methods, and, last but not at least, their aimed niche applications, in addition to their possible post-application utilization and recyclability, are all crucial issues in the field of IEMs.

Research contributions on the different aspects related to ion exchange membranes are welcome to this Special Issue.

Dr. V. María Barragán
Dr. Hristo Penchev
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ion exchange membranes
  • design
  • applications
  • structure–property relationship
  • chemical stabilization
  • ion transport enhancement

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 5631 KB  
Article
Large-Scale Molecular Dynamics of Anion-Exchange Membranes: Molecular Structure of QPAF-4 and Water Transport
by Tetsuro Nagai, Takumi Kawaida and Koji Yoshida
Membranes 2025, 15(9), 266; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes15090266 - 2 Sep 2025
Viewed by 132
Abstract
Understanding the molecular structure and water transport behavior in anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) is essential for advancing efficient and cost-effective alkaline fuel cells. In this study, large-scale all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of QPAF-4, a promising AEM material, were performed at multiple water uptakes ( [...] Read more.
Understanding the molecular structure and water transport behavior in anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) is essential for advancing efficient and cost-effective alkaline fuel cells. In this study, large-scale all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of QPAF-4, a promising AEM material, were performed at multiple water uptakes (λ = 2, 3, 6, and 13). The simulated systems comprised approximately 1.4 to 2.1 million atoms and spanned approximately 26 nm, thus enabling direct comparison with both wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments. The simulations successfully reproduced experimentally observed structure factors, accurately capturing microphase-separated morphologies at the mesoscale (~8 nm). Decomposition of the SAXS profile into atom pairs suggests that increasing water uptake may facilitate the aggregation of fluorinated alkyl chains. Furthermore, the calculated pair distribution functions showed excellent agreement with WAXS data, suggesting that the atomistic details were accurately reproduced. The water dynamics exhibited strong dependence on hydration level: At low water uptake, mean squared displacement showed persistent subdiffusive behavior even at long timescales (~200 ns), whereas almost normal diffusion was observed when water uptake was high. These results suggest that water mobility may be significantly influenced by nanoconfinement and strong interactions exerted by polymer chains and counterions under dry conditions. These findings provide a basis for the rational design and optimization of high-performance membrane materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design, Synthesis and Applications of Ion Exchange Membranes)
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12 pages, 2615 KB  
Article
Poly(Ionic Liquid)-Based Composite Electrolyte Membranes: Additive Effect of Silica Nanofibers on Their Properties
by Yoshiki Kawai, Yirui Lu, Shaoling Zhang, Gen Masuda and Hidetoshi Matsumoto
Membranes 2025, 15(9), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes15090254 - 27 Aug 2025
Viewed by 449
Abstract
Poly(ionic liquids) (PILs) show great promise as a new class of solid electrolytes for energy applications, including high-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells, owing to their combination of the unique electrochemical properties of ionic liquids and macromolecular architecture. In this study, we prepared and [...] Read more.
Poly(ionic liquids) (PILs) show great promise as a new class of solid electrolytes for energy applications, including high-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells, owing to their combination of the unique electrochemical properties of ionic liquids and macromolecular architecture. In this study, we prepared and characterized PIL-based composite polymer electrolyte membranes containing silica nanofibers (SiO2NFs). The SiO2NFs were prepared via electrospinning, followed by calcination, and were used as a thermally and mechanically stable, porous substrate. The crosslinked protic PIL was synthesized via in situ radical polymerization of imidazolium hydrogensulfate-based reagents (one monomer and one crosslinker). It was then used as the membrane matrix. The prepared freestanding PIL membranes remained thermally stable at temperatures of up to 180 °C. Furthermore, the PIL/SiO2NF composite electrolyte membranes demonstrated improved mechanical properties due to reinforcement by the NF framework. These composite membranes also exhibited relatively high proton conductivity (approximately 0.1 to 1 mS/cm) in the 100–150 °C temperature range. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design, Synthesis and Applications of Ion Exchange Membranes)
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13 pages, 3506 KB  
Article
Study on Efficient Operating Conditions for Bipolar Membrane Electrodialysis Using Different Ion Species and Anion-Exchange Membranes
by Sadato Kikuchi, Souichiro Hirao, Shunya Kayakiri, Yuriko Kakihana and Mitsuru Higa
Membranes 2024, 14(12), 262; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes14120262 - 6 Dec 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2854
Abstract
To investigate efficient operating conditions for bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED), a comparison of current efficiency (CE) and power intensity (PI) was conducted using different anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) and salt solutions (NaCl and Na2SO4) as feed [...] Read more.
To investigate efficient operating conditions for bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED), a comparison of current efficiency (CE) and power intensity (PI) was conducted using different anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) and salt solutions (NaCl and Na2SO4) as feed solutions in BMED. The results indicated that CE was higher and PI was lower for a commercial proton-blocking AEM (ACM) than for a standard AEM (ASE) when NaCl was used. This is because ASE has a higher water content than ACM, leading to greater H+ permeability, which reduces CE. Conversely, when Na2SO4 was used, ASE exhibited higher CE and lower cell voltage (CV) than ACM, resulting in lower PI for ASE. This is attributable to the fact that, with Na2SO4, the effect of CV was more significant than H+ permeability. These findings suggest that efficient operation can be achieved by selecting the appropriate combination of AEMs and salt solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design, Synthesis and Applications of Ion Exchange Membranes)
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