Defining sulfonation limits of poly(ether-ether-ketone) for energy-efficient dehumidification
Type
ArticleAuthors
Akhtar, Faheem
Abdulhamid, Mahmoud

Vovusha, Hakkim

Ng, Kim Choon

Schwingenschlögl, Udo

Szekely, Gyorgy

KAUST Department
Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research CenterBiological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division
Chemical Engineering Program
Computational Physics and Materials Science (CPMS)
Environmental Science and Engineering Program
Material Science and Engineering Program
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division
Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center (WDRC)
KAUST Grant Number
REP/1/3988-06-01Date
2021Submitted Date
2021-05-02Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/670168
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Dehumidification is a vital process in the cooling industry and has emerged as a promising tool for alleviating the effects of energy-intensive activities. Advanced engineering materials, which can be employed in dehumidification processes, have attracted considerable attention. However, the majority of commercial adsorbents suffer from low sorption performance in arid climates. In this work, sulfonated poly(ether-ether-ketones) (SPEEKs) were designed as desiccants for dehumidification processes. The in silico and experimental investigations at a molecular level enabled the development of desiccants exhibiting outstanding water uptake capacity of more than 300%, fast sorption uptake, and high transport rate. The sorption capacity of the prepared materials outperformed those of the previously reported desiccants. Membrane performance analyses demonstrated remarkably high water vapor permeability and selectivity; therefore, the desiccants developed herein showed potential for application in water vapor control and dehumidification processes in enclosed or confined spaces. Contrary to common assumptions, the correlation between the sulfonation degree and dehumidification performance showed a plateau after maximum curvature. The results of this study open new directions for tailoring energy-efficient materials for dehumidification processes.Citation
Akhtar, F. H., Abdulhamid, M. A., Vovusha, H., Ng, K. C., Schwingenschlögl, U., & Szekely, G. (2021). Defining sulfonation limits of poly(ether-ether-ketone) for energy-efficient dehumidification. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. doi:10.1039/d1ta03690dSponsors
The research reported in this publication was supported by funding from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The postdoctoral fellowship from the Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center at KAUST is gratefully acknowledged (MAA). The authors acknowledge the KAUST Cooling Initiative grant REP/1/3988-06-01.Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)Journal
Journal of Materials Chemistry AAdditional Links
http://xlink.rsc.org/?DOI=D1TA03690Dae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1039/d1ta03690d