Stabilized surfactant-based membranes and methods of manufacture thereof. Membranes comprising a stabilized surfactant mesostructure on a porous support may be used for various separations, including reverse osmosis and forward osmosis. The membranes are stabilized after evaporation of solvents; in some embodiments no removal of the surfactant is required. The surfactant solution may or may not comprise a hydrophilic compound such as an acid or base. The surface of the porous support is preferably modified prior to formation of the stabilized surfactant mesostructure. The membrane is sufficiently stable to be utilized in commercial separations devices such as spiral wound modules. Also a stabilized surfactant mesostructure coating for a porous material and filters made therefrom. The coating can simultaneously improve both the permeability and the filtration characteristics of the porous material.

The current disclosure teaches one to achieve PBI membranes with high ionic conductivity and low mechanical creep for the first time. This is in contrast to previous teachings of PBI membrane fabrication methods, which yield PBIs with either high ionic conductivity and high mechanical creep or low ionic conductivity and low mechanical creep. The membranes produced according to the disclosed process provide doped membranes for applications in fuel cells and electrolysis devices such as electrochemical separation devices.

Stabilized surfactant-based membranes and methods of manufacture thereof. Membranes comprising a stabilized surfactant mesostructure on a porous support may be used for various separations, including reverse osmosis and forward osmosis. The membranes are stabilized after evaporation of solvents; in some embodiments no removal of the surfactant is required. The surfactant solution may or may not comprise a hydrophilic compound such as an acid or base. The surface of the porous support is preferably modified prior to formation of the stabilized surfactant mesostructure. The membrane is sufficiently stable to be utilized in commercial separations devices such as spiral wound modules. Also a stabilized surfactant mesostructure coating for a porous material and filters made therefrom. The coating can simultaneously improve both the permeability and the filtration characteristics of the porous material.

A composite proton conductive membrane, comprising an inorganic filler having covalently bonded acidic functional groups and a high surface area of at least 150 m.sup.2/g; and a water insoluble ionically conductive polymer. This membrane provides advantages over traditional polymeric proton conductive membranes for redox flow battery, fuel cell, and electrolysis applications include: 1) enhanced proton conductivity/permeance due to the formation of additional nanochannels for proton conducting; 2) improved proton/electrolyte selectivity for redox flow battery application; 3) reduced membrane swelling and gas or electrolyte crossover; 4) improved chemical stability; 5) increased cell operation time with stable performance, and 6) reduced membrane cost.

The current disclosure teaches one to achieve PBI membranes with high ionic conductivity and low mechanical creep for the first time. This is in contrast to previous teachings of PBI membrane fabrication methods, which yield PBIs with either high ionic conductivity and high mechanical creep or low ionic conductivity and low mechanical creep. The membranes produced according to the disclosed process provide doped membranes for applications in fuel cells and electrolysis devices such as electrochemical separation devices.

The present invention discloses a preparation method of an alkaline anion exchange membrane and a use of the membrane in a fuel cell. The preparation method of the alkaline anion exchange membrane contains: taking polyvinyl alcohol as a substrate, which provides mechanical strength for the membrane; taking a commercialized alkaline resin as an anion exchange resin of chemically reactive groups, performing a cross-linking reaction between polyvinyl alcohol and the alkaline resin by mixing; meanwhile, during the process of forming the alkaline anion exchange membrane, adding an organic salt of transition metal, and doping transition metal ions into the membrane. By taking advantages of catalytic characteristics of the transition metal ions, the fuel leaking from the anode of the cell can perform a catalytic reaction in time in the ion exchange membrane, and thereby improve an ion conductivity of the membrane and efficiently decrease a resistance of the cell. The fuel cell assembled by the anion exchange membrane prepared in the present invention shows an excellent power-generating property.

The present invention discloses a preparation method of an alkaline anion exchange membrane and a use of the membrane in a fuel cell. The preparation method of the alkaline anion exchange membrane contains: taking polyvinyl alcohol as a substrate, which provides mechanical strength for the membrane; taking a commercialized alkaline resin as an anion exchange resin of chemically reactive groups, performing a cross-linking reaction between polyvinyl alcohol and the alkaline resin by mixing; meanwhile, during the process of forming the alkaline anion exchange membrane, adding an organic salt of transition metal, and doping transition metal ions into the membrane. By taking advantages of catalytic characteristics of the transition metal ions, the fuel leaking from the anode of the cell can perform a catalytic reaction in time in the ion exchange membrane, and thereby improve an ion conductivity of the membrane and efficiently decrease a resistance of the cell. The fuel cell assembled by the anion exchange membrane prepared in the present invention shows an excellent power-generating property.

Stabilized surfactant-based membranes and methods of manufacture thereof. Membranes comprising a stabilized surfactant mesostructure on a porous support may be used for various separations, including reverse osmosis and forward osmosis. The membranes are stabilized after evaporation of solvents; in some embodiments no removal of the surfactant is required. The surfactant solution may or may not comprise a hydrophilic compound such as an acid or base. The surface of the porous support is preferably modified prior to formation of the stabilized surfactant mesostructure. The membrane is sufficiently stable to be utilized in commercial separations devices such as spiral wound modules. Also a stabilized surfactant mesostructure coating for a porous material and filters made therefrom. The coating can simultaneously improve both the permeability and the filtration characteristics of the porous material.

A manufacturing method of a proton exchange membrane is provided, which includes the steps as follows. The hydroxyl groups are disposed on the surface of a substrate by a hydrophilic treatment. The hydroxyl groups on the substrate are chemically modified with a coupling agent by a sol-gel process. The substrate is exposed to an amino acid with a phosphonate radical so that the amino acid containing a phosphonate radical can be chemically bonded with the coupling agent. The chemically bonded substrate is immersed in phosphoric acid for absorbing the phosphoric acid. The substrate blended with the phosphoric acid is placed between at least two leak-proof films for the purpose of preventing the leakage of the absorbed phosphoric acid. The proton exchange membrane manufactured by this method enable to retain the phosphoric acid in organic/inorganic complex form and micron/nano complex pore size.

Stabilized surfactant-based membranes and methods of manufacture thereof. Membranes comprising a stabilized surfactant mesostructure on a porous support may be used for various separations, including reverse osmosis and forward osmosis. The membranes are stabilized after evaporation of solvents; in some embodiments no removal of the surfactant is required. The surfactant solution may or may not comprise a hydrophilic compound such as an acid or base. The surface of the porous support is preferably modified prior to formation of the stabilized surfactant mesostructure. The membrane is sufficiently stable to be utilized in commercial separations devices such as spiral wound modules. Also a stabilized surfactant mesostructure coating for a porous material and filters made therefrom. The coating can simultaneously improve both the permeability and the filtration characteristics of the porous material.