Abstract
Salt brine electrolysis using perfluorinated ion exchange membranes is now recognized worldwide as the most energy saving process for the production of chlorine and caustic alkali. Membranes are based on perfluorinated polymers having functional groups. Although perfluorosulfonated membranes were first made by the du Pont Company, they were not always found to show sufficient performance in chlor alkali process. Asahi Glass succeeded in the development of new membranes through the first successful synthesis of perfluorocarboxylated polymers. These membranes achieved high permselectivity due to less water uptake of the carboxylates as compared with the sulfonates. Currently, many commercial membranes contain layers of both sulfonate and carboxylate perfluoropolymers. This paper deals with synthetic methods for fluorocarbon acid monomers and polymers, structure and properties of the polymers and membranes made thereof, and industrial applications.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sato, K., Miyake, H. High Performance Ion Exchange Membrane for Industrial Use. Polym J 23, 531–540 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1295/polymj.23.531
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1295/polymj.23.531