Performance enhancement of bipolar membranes modified by Fe complex catalyst

• DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.117243
• Publication Date: 2019-07-03T19:42:41Z
• Authors: Guishi Cheng; Ying Zhao; Wenjun Li; Jilong Zhang; Xiaoqiang Wang; Changqing Dong
• Keywords: 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology; 7. Clean energy; 6. Clean water

Abstract The work in this paper examined the effect of an Fe complex catalyst in the interface layer (IL) of the bipolar membrane (BPM) on water dissociation. The modified BPM2 was prepared by a hot-press molding method with the Fe complex catalyst fixed in the IL and compared with both BPM0 prepared by the same method without any catalyst in the IL and commercial BPM1. Experimental results show that the BPM2 performed more effectively than the BPM0 and BPM1. The catalytic activity of the Fe complex catalyst improved the water dissociation performance. The water dissociation voltage of BPM2 was reduced by 43.3% compared with that of BPM0. Furthermore, the electrodialysis experiments with BPM2 confirmed that water dissociation occurred faster compared with electrodialysis with either BPM0 or BPM1. The current efficiency of bipolar membrane electrodialysis has been improved, and the energy consumption has been reduced by the IL Fe complex catalyst. The high catalytic activity of the Fe complex catalyst KFe[Fe(CN)6] may be closely related to its cubic complex structure and multiple catalytic sites.