SPEEK membranes mechanical properties

A. R. Valencia, S. Kaliaguine, M. Bousmina, TensUe mechanical properties of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and BP04/SPEEK membranes. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 98, 2380-2393 (2005). 

Table 10.2 Effect of degree of sulfonation, temperature, and moisture conditions on mechanical properties of SPEEK membranes...

Membranes based on aromatic poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) seem very promising. In addition to their low methanol permeability, they have good mechanical properties, and high thermal stability, and the proton conductivity can be controlled through the degree of sulfonation. The main difference between Nafion and SPEEK membranes, which makes the latter less permeable to methanol, can be attributed to the difference in their microstructure. In SPEEK membranes, there is less pronounced hydrophiUc/hydrophobic separation as compared with Nafion membrane, and the flexibility of the polymer backbone of SPEEK produce narrow proton channels and a highly branched structure that baffles the transfer of methanol [18]. Thus, SPEEK membranes have lower electro-osmotic drag and methanol permeability values. 

Poiyaryiene Acid-Base Biends Kerres (2001) utilized the concept of acid-base cross-Unking to improve the osmotic (sweUing) and mechanical properties of proton-conducting membranes. He showed that blending a sulfonated polymer, for example, SPEEK,... 

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