ZIF-8-Embedded Cation-Exchange Membranes with Improved Monovalent Ion Selectivity for Capacitive Deionization

Membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) is an electrochemical ion separation process that combines ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) with porous carbon electrodes to enhance desalination efficiency and address the limitations of conventional capacitive deionization (CDI). In this study, a cation-exchang...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Eui-Gyu Han, Ji-Hyeon Lee, Moon-Sung Kang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Membranes
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/15/1/19
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Summary:Membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) is an electrochemical ion separation process that combines ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) with porous carbon electrodes to enhance desalination efficiency and address the limitations of conventional capacitive deionization (CDI). In this study, a cation-exchange membrane (CEM) embedded with a metal–organic framework (MOF) was developed to effectively separate monovalent and multivalent cations in influent solutions via MCDI. To fabricate CEMs with high monovalent ion selectivity, ZIF-8 was incorporated into sulfonated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (SPPO) at various weight ratios. The resulting membranes were systematically characterized using diverse electrochemical methods. The ZIF-8-embedded CEMs demonstrated a sieving effect based on differences in ion size and hydration energy, achieving excellent permselectivity for monovalent ions. MCDI tests using the prepared CEMs showed a Na<sup>+</sup> ion removal rate exceeding 99% in Na<sup>+</sup>/Mg<sup>2+</sup> and Na<sup>+</sup>/Ca<sup>2+</sup> mixed feed solutions, outperforming a commercial membrane (CSE, Astom Corp., Tokyo, Japan), which achieved a removal rate of 94.1%. These findings are expected to provide valuable insights for advancing not only MCDI but also other electro-membrane processes capable of selectively separating specific ions.
ISSN:2077-0375