Synthesis and characterization of new proton exchange membrane deriving from sulfonated polyether sulfone using ionic crosslinking for electrodialysis applications

Abstract In this research work, the synthesis and characterization of new ion exchange membranes made from sulfonated polyether sulfone (SPES) crosslinked by aminated PES (NH2PES) crosslinking reagent have been investigated for electrodialysis (ED) applications. Sulfonated and aminated PES have similar chemical structures that allow a good compatibility, the only difference between them is their functional groups. This membrane (called HNH2) has been obtained by reaction between SPES with 1.3 SO 3 H groups per monomer unit and the calculated equivalent amount of NH2PES. Three HNH2 membranes have been fabricated with different degrees of sulfonation. The HNH2 membranes properties have been evaluated using different characterization analysis. The results have shown that HNH2 membranes appear to be very promising candidates for electrochemical applications.