Effect of Surface Modification of Heterogeneous Anion-Exchange Membranes on the Intensity of Electroconvection at Their Surfaces

Electroconvection is the principal mechanism that allows markedly increasing the rate of ion transfer through ion-exchange membranes in intensive current regimes. In this work, we investigated the possibility of intensifying electroconvection in solution near heterogeneous MA-41 anion-exchange membrane (Shchekinoazot production) by the modifying of its surface. The use of weakly crosslinked ion-exchange resin (MA-41P) in the course of the membrane manufacturing, with subsequent chemical modification of its surface (MA-41PM), is shown to make it possible to increase the limiting current density almost twice. The value of the reduced potential drop (after subtracting the ohmic contribution), at which significant generation of H⁺ and OH^– ions begins, is shifted from 0.8 V in the case of MA-41 to 1.7 V in the case of MA-41PM. The current density related to the onset of water splitting is equal to 0.9\(i_{{{\text{lim}}}}^{{{\text{Lev}}}},\) in the case of MA-41; 2\(i_{{{\text{lim}}}}^{{{\text{Lev}}}},\) in the case of MA-41PM (where \(i_{{{\text{lim}}}}^{{{\text{Lev}}}}\) is the theoretical value of the limiting current density). The special feature of the modified membrane behavior is the presence of a range of potential drop (between 50 and 80 mV in the reduced scale), in which the system with the MA-41PM has negative differential resistance: in this range, the potential drop decreases when the current density increases. This behavior occurs when measuring quasi-stationary I–V curves; correspondingly, in the chronopotentiogram there is a time interval, where the potential drop decreases with time. The electroconvection is intensified near a modified membrane due to a higher fraction of conductive areas on the surface of the modified membrane and the redistribution of these areas via formation of their agglomerates in the centers of the cells formed by the reinforcing mesh. Mathematical modeling shows the concentration polarization of the modified membrane being less than that of the pristine one. Meanwhile, the structure of electroconvective vortices is optimized: the vortices near the modified membrane are larger; they do not extinguish each other, unlike the case of MA-41.