TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
WETTABILITYSuperior Electrolyte Wettability 24° Contact Angle
Wettability determines how quickly and uniformly the membrane absorbs electrolyte. IONZERA's 24° contact angle — 31% lower than Zirfon — ensures rapid KOH uptake and consistent ionic conductivity across the entire membrane surface.
IONZERA SPEC
WETTABILITY
IONZERA
Zirfon
What Is Contact Angle and Why Does It Matter?
Contact angle measures how well a liquid (in this case, KOH electrolyte) spreads on a surface. A lower contact angle means the liquid spreads more readily, wetting the surface more completely. For an AWE separator membrane, low contact angle is critical because the membrane must be fully saturated with electrolyte to conduct hydroxide ions efficiently.
IONZERA achieves a contact angle of approximately 24 degrees, compared to approximately 35 degrees for Zirfon PERL UTP 500. This 31% improvement in wettability ensures faster electrolyte uptake during initial conditioning and more uniform electrolyte distribution across the membrane surface during operation.
How Wettability Affects Electrolyser Performance
Membrane wettability directly impacts several aspects of electrolyser performance:
The Role of GO and TiO₂ in Wettability
IONZERA's superior wettability comes from the synergistic hydrophilicity of its nanocomposite components. TiO₂ nanoparticles are inherently hydrophilic, attracting water and KOH electrolyte to the membrane surface and pore walls. Graphene oxide nanosheets add additional hydrophilic functional groups (hydroxyl, carboxyl, epoxy) that further reduce the contact angle. Together, these components create a membrane surface that actively attracts electrolyte, in contrast to Zirfon's ZrO₂-only approach which achieves more limited wettability.
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