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Exponential water uptake by ionomer membranes

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Artistic rendering of GCMC insertion/deletion of water molecules (journal cover).
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Effect of higher ion-exchange capacity on water uptake.

Work by Adam Barnett, John Karnes, Jibao Lu, Dale Major, James Oakdale, Kyle Grew, Joshua McClure, and Valeria Molinero (University of Utah, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the Army Research Laboratory), using hybrid MD/GCMC simulations to calculate the hydration of model anion-exchange membranes as a function of water activity and ionomer design. The simulations capture the onset of exponential water uptake at high water activity.

Related publications

  • Exponential Water Uptake in Ionomer Membranes Results from Polymer Plasticization, A. Barnett, J. J. Karnes, J. Lu, D. R. Major Jr., J. S. Oakdale, K. N. Grew, J. P. McClure, and V. Molinero, Macromolecules 55, 6762-6774 (2022). doi:10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01042