INS11-0366

Ion and Water Transport in Weak Polyelectrolyte Membranes

Topic

S11. PMSE–PSK50 Anniversary Symposium: Advancing Polymer Science for a Sustainable and Intelligent Future

When and Where

Sep 30, 2026 11:10 - 11:35

Room 110

Session Chairs

Tae Hee HAN

Presenter(s)

Hee Jeung Oh (Penn State University)

Co-Author(s)

No co-authors

Abstract

Polyelectrolyte membranes are vital to advancing sustainable technologies across energy, environmental, food, and health sectors. Designing next-generation membranes to tackle these global challenges requires a fundamental understanding of ion and water transport. To address this, we developed a novel library of weak polyelectrolyte membranes based on an acrylic acid–poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (AA-PEGDA) network. This system achieves a wide ion-exchange capacity range (IEC = 0-4 mequiv/g) with minimal water swelling. Crucially, the charged group concentration (degree of ionization, α = 0 - 1) can be systematically varied on the exact same chemical scaffold simply by adjusting the external pH. Leveraging this unique feature, we utilized multiscale characterization to investigate ion and water sorption and diffusion. This work establishes key design principles for polyelectrolyte membranes, ultimately catalyzing the development of advanced charged polymers for broad sustainability applications.

Back to List