ChemInform Abstract: Enhancement of Membrane Transport of Ions by Spatially Nonuniform Electric Fields.

Abstract

030ChemInform Abstract It is demonstrated experimentally that transport of ions through ion-exchange membranes via the application of electric field can be enhanced by 10% if the field is spatially nonuniform. This can be explained in terms of the influence of nonuniformity in a transport system which obeys nonlinear transport laws. A model based on the Goldman flux equation is in qualitative agreement with theexperiment, as are previous calculations by another group. The use of nonuniform fields in devices such as electrodialysis units, fuel cells, batteries, and the like may lead to more efficient transport of ions and, therefore, less energy consumption.