A hybrid bipolar membrane

A hybrid bipolar membrane was developed for high-temperature applications. In particular, the cation-exchange layer was prepared by hybridizing sulfonated poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (SPPO) with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (A1100) while the anion-exchange layer was prepared from a hybrid anion-exchange material—poly(VBC-co-γ-MPS) (VBC, vinylbenzyl chloride; γ-MPS, γ-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxy silane). The results indicated that, by incorporation of inorganic silica in the anion/cation exchange layers, the bipolar membrane could have higher thermal stability and efficiency of water dissociation at 25–80 °C. Moreover, palygorskite and FeCl3 were added into the intermediate layer to further enhance water dissociation. All these modifications made the final hybrid bipolar membrane promising for use at high temperature.