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Multi-scale physics of bipolar membranes in electrochemical processes

Nature Chemical Engineering volume 1, pages 45–60 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Bipolar membranes (BPMs) enable control of ion concentrations and fluxes in electrochemical cells suitable for a wide range of applications. Here we present the multi-scale physics of BPMs in an electrochemical engineering context and articulate design principles to drive the development of advanced BPMs. The chemistry, structure, and physics of BPMs are illustrated and related to the thermodynamics, transport phenomena, and chemical kinetics that dictate ion and species fluxes and selectivity. These interactions give rise to emergent structure–property–performance relationships that yield design criteria for BPMs that achieve high permselectivity, durability, and voltaic efficiency. The resulting performance trade-offs for BPMs are presented in the context of emerging applications in energy conversion or storage, and environmental remediation. By connecting the fundamental physical phenomena in BPMs to device-level performance and engineering, we aim to facilitate the development of next-generation BPMs for sustainable electrochemical processes.

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Fig. 1: Overview of BPM design considerations.
Fig. 2: Overview of thermodynamics, transport phenomena, and kinetics in BPMs.
Fig. 3: Experimental system for characterizing BPMs.
Fig. 4: Performance trade-offs in BPMs.
Fig. 5: MEAs using BPMs.
Fig. 6: Acid–base recombination effects for BPMs operating in forward bias.
Fig. 7: Process schematics for BPM-ED systems applied in environmental remediation processes.
Fig. 8: Timeline of physical and chemical BPM degradation modes.

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Acknowledgements

This material is partially based on work performed within the Liquid Sunlight Alliance, which is supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Fuels from Sunlight Hub under award number DE-SC0021266 as well as the US Department of Energy under contract number DE-AC02-05CH11231. J.C.B. was supported in part by a fellowship award under contract FA9550-21-F-0003 through the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) fellowship program, sponsored by the Army Research Office (ARO). T.N.S. acknowledges funding from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSFGRFP) under grant number DGE 2146752. E.W.L. acknowledges funding from the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). S.W.B. and L.C. acknowledge support from the US Office of Naval Research, grant N00014-20-1-2517.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Justin C. Bui & Alexis T. Bell

  2. Liquid Sunlight Alliance, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Justin C. Bui, Alexis T. Bell & Adam Z. Weber

  3. Energy Technologies Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Eric W. Lees, T. Nathan Stovall, Ahmet Kusoglu & Adam Z. Weber

  4. Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Daniela H. Marin & Thomas F. Jaramillo

  5. Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

    T. Nathan Stovall

  6. Department of Chemistry and the Oregon Center for Electrochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA

    Lihaokun Chen & Shannon W. Boettcher

  7. SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis and Liquid Sunlight Alliance, Menlo Park, CA, USA

    Adam C. Nielander & Thomas F. Jaramillo

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Contributions

J.C.B. and A.Z.W. supervised the project. J.C.B. conceived of the article, coordinated authors, and combined and unified author contributions. All authors contributed to discussing, commenting on, writing, and revising the manuscript.

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Bui, J.C., Lees, E.W., Marin, D.H. et al. Multi-scale physics of bipolar membranes in electrochemical processes. Nat Chem Eng 1, 45–60 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-023-00009-x

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