Web-supported membrane
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorMichael S. Withers
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Abstract
A process and apparatus for continuously forming a reinforced membrane of fluorinated polymers containing sulfonyl and/or carboxyl groups in melt-fabricable form and, after hydrolysis, the corresponding membrane in ion exchange form. The membrane thus formed has exceptional uniformity, and this membrane so made, when used as the membrane which separates the compartments of a chloralkali cell, offers the advantages of low operating voltage, low power consumption and high current efficiency, and a long useful life without rupture.
Claims26
A reinforced membrane which consists essentially of at least two layers of melt fabricable fluorinated polymer which contains side chains containing sulfonyl and/or carboxyl groups in melt fabricable form, and a woven reinforcing fabric comprising warp and fill strands, there being at least one layer of a said fluorinated polymer on each side of said reinforcing fabric, the warp and fill strands of said reinforcing fabric defining windows between said strands, each layer of fluorinated polymer in at least 70% of the area in each of at least 90% of said windows being of uniform thickness within plus or minus 10%.
A reinforced ion exchange membrane which consists essentially of at least two layers of fluorinated polymer which contains side chains containing sulfonyl groups in ion exchange form and/or carboxylic acid groups in ion exchange form and a woven reinforcing fabric comprising warp and fill strands, there being at least one layer of a said fluorinated polymer on each side of said reinforcing fabric, the warp and fill strands of said fabric defining windows between said strands, each layer of fluorinated polymer in at least 70% of the area in each of at least 90% of said windows being of uniform thickness within plus or minus 10%.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.