A sugar-template manufacturing method for microsystem ion-exchange membranes
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Authors
Festarini, Rio V.
Pham, Minh-Hao
Liu, Xinyue
Barz, Dominik P. J.
Date
2017-06
Type
journal article
Language
Keyword
Alternative Title
Abstract
In this work, we report on a novel method for producing ion-exchange membranes that can be integrated directly into polydimethylsiloxane-based micro devices. Ionomers such as NafionTM, a copolymer with high conductivity and selectivity to small cations, are generally incompatible with common micro device materials due to the chemical inertness of the tetrafluoroethylene-based skeleton and the swelling in aqueous solutions. Hence, we introduce a microfabrication concept where we use consolidated sugar granules as a template to produce a porous polydimethylsiloxane scaffold. Ionomer and scaffold are combined to a composite membrane where the cohesion of these incompatible materials is of rather mechanical nature; i.e. the ionomer is physically entrapped in the scaffold. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements reveal the excellent membrane conductivity for the upper electrolyte concentrations tested in this work.
Description
Citation
Festarini, R. V., Pham, M.-H., Liu, X., & Barz, D. P. J. (2017). A sugar-template manufacturing method for microsystem ion-exchange membranes. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 27(7), 075011. doi:10.1088/1361-6439/aa736b
Publisher
IOP Publishing
License
Final publication available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1361-6439/aa736b