Unravelling Spontaneous Formation of Lamellar Structures in Free-Standing Fluorinated Sulfonated Polyimide Membranes (2026)
Abstract
Sulfonated polyimide (SPI) membranes offer promise for electrochemical applications including redox flow batteries and electrodialysis, where controlling microphase separation process of SPI in evaporation process is critical to suppress crossover while maintaining ion conductivity. Fluorinated SPI membranes unexpectedly form self-organized lamellar structures during routine solvent evaporation. GISAXS/GIWAXS measurement is essential to quantify lamellar ordering, interlayer spacing, and orientation. This project aims to establish quantitative structure-property relationships for spontaneous lamellar formation, enabling rational design of high-performance membranes through controlled selforganisation.
