In the present study, a novel reverse electrodialysis (RED) stack with ultrathin lab-made pore-filling membranes and a high-open-area spacer was proposed to enhance the gross power density.

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Selective, stable, molecularly imprinted polymers having intrinsic photoresponsive properties were synthesized for the purpose of photoregulated binding of a predetermined ligand. Highly crosslinked, free-standing polymer membranes were synthesized from an optimized mixture of two crosslinkerssethylene glycol dimethacrylate and tetraethylene glycol diacrylate. For synthesizing molecularly imprinted polymers, p-phenylazoacrylanilide (PhAAAn) was used as a new photoresponsive functional monomer. A study of the kinetics of photoisomerization of PhAAAn within the polymer membranes before and after treatment with various media showed the excellent functional stability of the membranes. Polymer membranes synthesized in the presence of the template dansylamide possess selective sites for recognizing dansylamide, and the affinity of these sites can be reversibly changed by illumination with ultraviolet or visible light.

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Temperature tolerant new anhydrous Nafion-1,2,3-triazole blend membranes were prepared by room temperature (RT) and autoclave (AC) solution processing. Both blend membranes were very flexible and stable up to 260°C . Interestingly, they showed very different physico-chemical properties. In this paper, the properties of both the blend membranes were compared by Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis, dynamic elastic modulus, X-ray diffraction, small angle X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy, and proton conductivity. 1,2,3-Triazole was successfully incorporated into the nanostructure of Nafion. The blend membranes were more conductive than Nafion at 200°C under anhydrous conditions, and the conductivity was about 1mS∕cm . The blend membrane using AC solution processing showed higher thermal stability, density, and conductivity than that of RT solution processing. Therefore, an AC solution processing can be expected as a new synthesis method to get electrolyte membranes.