Bipolar Ion-Exchange Membrane

Application ID: 85901


A bipolar membrane consists of one anion-selective, and one cation-selective membrane, in contact with each other.

The combined cation and anion selectivity makes the bipolar membrane highly impermeable to all ions, with the exception of H+ and OH- which are formed by water splitting (autoprotolysis) in the boundary region between the two membranes.

The dual anion/cation selectivity makes the bipolar membrane highly interesting for, for instance, water purification applications.

This model example shows how to model a bipolar membrane, including water splitting, by the use of the coupled Nernst-Planck-Poisson (NPP) equations.

This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products: