Work

β-FeOOH-Loaded Polydopamine-Modified Halloysite Nanotubes as a Catalytic Interlayer for Enhanced Water Dissociation in Bipolar Membranes

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Efficient interfacial water dissociation is essential for reducing the operating voltage of bipolar membranes (BPMs), whereas aggregation and nonuniform distribution of nanoscale catalysts can limit active-site utilization. In this study, polydopamine-modified halloysite nanotubes (PDA@HNTs) were used as a support for β-FeOOH loading to construct a composite catalytic interlayer for BPMs. XRD, FTIR, XPS, SEM, TEM, EDS mapping, contact-angle measurements, electrochemical tests, and bipolar membrane electrodialysis were used to evaluate the interlayer structure and membrane performance. At 50 mA cm−2, the β-FeOOH-PDA@HNTs-BPM exhibited a transmembrane voltage of 0.94 V, compared with 2.15 V for the blank BPM, while the interfacial water-dissociation resistance decreased from 3.873 to 0.980 Ω. After 48 h of continuous operation, the voltage increased only from 0.94 to 0.98 V. In electrodialysis, the membrane achieved a current efficiency of 81.4% and an energy consumption of 3.3 kWh kg−1 after 180 min. PDA-functionalized HNTs promote the dispersion and interfacial association of β-FeOOH, improve interfacial wettability and catalytic-site accessibility, and thereby enhance water dissociation and acid/base production in BPMs.

Source: Membranes

DOI: 10.3390/membranes16090296

Authors: Haotian Wang, Rui Yang, Jie Wang, Kui Lou, Yunshuang Fan

Institutions: Tiangong University, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Separation Membrane Materials

Language: English

Topic: Membrane-based Ion Separation Techniques

Subfield: Biomedical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,654