Development of Hydrogel Polyelectrolyte Membranes with Fixed Sulpho-Groups via Radical Copolymerization of Acrylic Monomers

Abstract

Electrolyte hydrogels are perspective materials for applications in electrochemical devices, which work at ambient temperatures. In this work, hydrogel sulpho-modified membranes were formed by radical co-polymerization of sodium styrensulphonate and potassium sulphopropyl acrylate with acrylamide and acrylonitrile. The hydrogel membranes were obtained in the form of thin films. Properties of the membranes were studied by thermogravimetry, mass-spectrometry and IR-spectrometry. The prepared membranes were thermally stable up to 70°C - 90°C, and showed ion exchange capacity and swelling coefficients sufficient for use as ion-exchange or proton-conducting membranes.