B25 - FORBLUE: Developing New Electrolysis Membranes for a Better, Cleaner Future

Fluorine-based ion exchange membranes have often been considered the standard membranes for polymer-based water electrolysis because of their ability to generate a higher current density and withstand the corrosive environments better than competitive technologies. AGC Chemicals, based out of Tokyo, Japan, and US headquarters in Exton, PA, has a family of products specializing in separation solutions for various chemicals and processes. The five members of the FORBLUE family include S-SERIES, SELEMION, i-SERIES, FLEMION, and sunsep. A recent member of the FORBLUE family, S-SERIES, was established in 2017. The product line is perfluorinated ion exchange membranes with different membrane thicknesses, fiber reinforcement availability, and counter ion mechanisms. Recently, AGC has developed a new generation of S-SERIES membranes with smaller thicknesses and lower equivalent weight (EW). The decreased EW leads to a higher ion exchange capacity (IEC) and lower electric resistance than standard and competitive membranes.