Abstract

Organic-inorganic hybrid ion exchange membranes have been developing into a fascinating new field of research. The attractive characteristics of this kind of membranes are the improved chemical/mechanical/thermal stability, porosity, high adherence to different substrates, enhanced selectivity and/or permeability. In this article, we will focus on the recent patents concerning the preparations and applications of hybrid ion exchange membranes. Some related literature reports will also be introduced. The preparation methods mainly include sol-gel process, impregnation and mixing and surface grafting of inorganic substrates with silane. And the applications mainly comprise of diffusive dialysis (DD), fuel cells, microfiltration and ultrafiltration, and other separation processes. Through the patent and literature review, this article is intended to reveal the high level of diversity in the properties, the applications and the productions of the hybrid ion exchange membranes.

Keywords: Applications, fuel cells, hybrid membranes, ion exchange membranes, preparation, separation