Aciplex

Asahi Chemical, Tokyo cation and anion Aciplex... 

The ML32NCH electrolyser equipped with the Aciplex F-4401 membrane has been in commercial operation at 6 kA m-2 for approximately one year at Asahi Chemical s chlor-alkali plant. As shown in Figs 17.16 and 17.17, the electrolyser has achieved a cell voltage of 3.17 V and a current efficiency of 96%, while operating at 6kA m-2. This operation is continuing the present plan is to investigate the performance of the ML32NCH at a current density of 8 kA m-2. 

Perfluorinated PEMs with sulfonic acid (la = Nafion, Flemion lb = Aciplex 2a = DOW, Hyflon-ion 2b = 3M, 2c = Asahi Kasei 3 = Asahi Glass) and b)s[(perfluoroalkyl sulfonyl] (4) groups for proton conduction. 

The DuPont Nafion materials, both sulfonate and carboxylate varieties, are not entirely unique, as similar perfluorinated ionomers have been developed by others such as the Asahi Chemical Company (commercial name Aciplex) and the Asahi Glass Company (commercial name Flemion). The comonomer chemical structures of and further information on these materials are given in the recent review article by Doyle and Rajendvan. Now commercially unavailable, but once considered a viable alternative, the Dow Chemical Company developed a somewhat similar perfluorinated ionomer that resembled the sulfonate form of Nafion except that the side chain of the former is shorter and contains one ether oxygen, rather than two ether oxygens, that is, —O—... 

Later, Hinatsu et al. studied the uptake of water, from the liquid and vapor states at various temperatures, in acid form Nafion 117 and 125, and Aciplex and Flemion membranes, although the latter two similar products will not be discussed here. These studies were motivated by a concern over the deleterious effects, involving either overly dry or overly wet membranes, on electrical conductivity within the context of polymer electrolyte fuel cells and polymer electrolyte water electrolyzers. 

As discussed above, the most commonly known and studied PEMs are based on nonaromatic perfluori-nated hydrocarbons such as Nation, Aciplex, Flemion, and what are termed the Dow membranes. However, their chemical synthesis is challenging due to the safety concerns of tetrafluoroethylene and the cost/ availability of the perfluoroether comonomers. These issues have relegated detailed synthetic research on polyperfluorosulfonic acid materials to the industrial sector or to a few specialized academic labs. 

Other perfluorinated ionomer membranes, chemically very similar to Nafion, are also available commercially. Aciplex, manufactured by the Asahi Chemical Company, is very similar to Nafion, except that it has perfluoropropanesulfonic acid side chains. Flemion (Asahi Glass Company), in contrast, possesses perfluorobutanoic acid functions. 

A variety of solid acids has been studied in the alkylation of benzene with formaldehyde to produce diphenylmethane264 [Eq. (5.99)]. Aciplex-Si02 exhibited... 

Nafion beads, Nafion—Si02, and Aciplex-Si02 were tested by Okuhara and coworkers923 924 in the Ritter reaction between 1-adamantanol and acrylonitrile [Eq. 

The sample used for the experiments is Aciplex-SF-1004 (10x10x0.117 mm3). The sample was irradiated at room temperature and atmospheric pressure with 1.17 and 1.33 MeV gamma-ray from a cobalt-60 source in the Takasaki Research Establishment of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). The absorption doses of the sample by gamma-ray were from 1 to 173 kGy. 

In Xuezhong Du etal. (2001), Japanese Aciplex and Flemion and Chinese Shanghai alternatives to Nafion are compared with Nafion in terms of their performance, and none is overwhelming. The latter alternatives have not yet caught on in the international scene. Price comparison is not made available. 

Miyake, N. et ah. Durability of Asahi Kasei Aciplex membrane for PEM fuel cell application, in Proceedings of the 206th ECS Meeting Proton Conducting Membrane Fuel Cells IV, Honolulu, HI, October 3-8, 2004, p. 333. 

The PFSA membranes nsed in the present study were Aciplex-SF-1004 with dimension of 10x10x0.117 tmn. The polymers were irradiated with 1.17 and 1.33 MeV garmna-ray from a cobalt-60 source, installed at the Takasaki Research Establishment of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), at room temperatnre and atmospheric pressure. The resultant ionization doses to the polymers by the ganrma-ray irradiation were 530 kGy. 

PFSA lonomer and PTFE Reinforcement at Asahi Kasei Aciplex Membranes.794... 

PEMFCs generally operate at temperatures <100°C. PFSA-based polymer ionomer membranes like Nafion, Gore, Aciplex, and Flemion are not significantly affected by temperatures up to 150°C where most of the water is lost and membranes may suffer irreversible dry out. Chemical degradation of these membranes in the form usually starts with the loss of sulfonate groups at over 220°C [7]. 

Nation XR resin Nation CR resin Flemion XR resin Flemion CR resin Aciplex XR resin Aciplex XR resin... 

The synthesis of the monomers as well as the polymerization of PFSA membranes involve dangerous reactions under conditions of high pressure and temperature. Additionally, the synthesis of the comonomer that is commonly referred to as perfluorosulfonylfluoride ethyl propyl vinyl ether (PSEPVE) involves numerous steps with low yields. These factors contribute to the cost of these materials. The synthesis routes described in detail by Doyle and Rajendran are summarized here. The synthesis of the long-chain PFSA monomers used in commercial systems like Nafion, Flemion, and Aciplex proceeds through... 

Asahi Kasei develops membranes mainly for chlor-alkali electrolysis technology with Aciplex F PFSA membranes. The Aciplex F membrane is employed in plants with a total production capacity of over 5 million tons of sodium hydroxide... 

This chapter also presents a comparison between Nafion 112 and Aciplex 1002 membranes, showing almost indistinguishable performance in the lower current density region (Figure 27.51). At higher current density, the superior behavior of Aciplex was attributed to the lower EW of the Aciplex membranes [94]. 

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