Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan (CS)-polyvinyl alcohol were cross-linked by Fe3+and glutaraldehyde respectively to prepare cation exchange layer and anion exchange layer, and polyvinyl alcohol-sodium alginate (SA)-metal octocarboxyphthalocyanine (MePc (COOH)8, a kind of water splitting catalyst, here, Me stands for Fe3+or Co2+) nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning technique and introduced into the interlayer to obtain the CMC-PVA/PVA-SA-MePc (COOH)8/CS-PVA bipolar membrane (BPM). The experimental results showed that compared with the BPM without the PVA-SA-MePc (COOH)8interlayer, the water splitting efficiency at the interlayer of the CMC-PVA/PVA-SA-MePc (COOH)8/ CS-PVA BPM was obviously increased, and its membrane impedance decreased. When the concentration of FePc (COOH)8in the PVA-SA-FePc (COOH)8nanofibers was 3.0%, the trans-membrane voltage drop (IRdrop) of the CMC-PVA/PVA-SA-FePc (COOH)8/CS-PVA BPM was as low as 0.6V at a high current density of 90 mA/cm2.
Current-voltage curve of a bipolar membrane at high current density
