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Item Open Access Convective drying of porous media : comparison of phase-field simulations with microfluidic experiments(2024) Maier, Lukas; Brosch, Sebastian; Gaehr, Magnus; Linkhorst, John; Wessling, Matthias; Nieken, UlrichConvective drying of porous media is central to many engineering applications, ranging from spray drying over water management in fuel cells to food drying. To improve these processes, a deep understanding of drying phenomena in porous media is crucial. Therefore, detailed simulation of multiphase flows with phase change is of great importance to investigate the complex processes involved in drying porous media. While many studies aim to access the phenomena solely by simulations, here we succeed to compare comprehensively simulations with an experimental methodology based on microfluidic multiphase flow studies in engineered porous media. In this contribution, we propose a Navier-Stokes Cahn-Hilliard model coupled with balance equations for heat and moisture to simulate the two-phase flow with phase change. The phase distribution of the two fluids air and water is modeled by the Phase-Field equation. Comparisons with experiments are rare in the literature and usually involve very simple cases. We compare our simulation with convective drying experiments of porous media. Experimentally, the interface propagation of the water-air interface was visualized in detail during drying in a structured microfluidic cell made from PDMS. The drying pattern and the drying time in the experiment are very well reproduced by our simulation. This validation will enable the application for the presented Navier-Stokes Cahn-Hilliard model in more complex cases focused more on applications, e.g., in the field of fibrous materials.Item Open Access Synthesis and characterization of novel perfluoro aromatic side chain sulfonated PSU ionomers(2024) Martschin, Philipp; Atanasov, Vladimir; Thiele, Simon; Kerres, JochenPolyethersulfone (PSU) as a commercially available polymer offers many different opportunities for functionalization for diverse fields of application, for example, electrophilic substitutions like sulfonation and bromination or nucleophilic reactions such as lithiation. This study presents three different polysulfone derivatives, first functionalized by a lithiation reaction, followed by a reaction with carbonyl compounds containing pentafluorophenyl groups. In the last step, the pentafluorophenyl moieties of the modified PSU were sulfonated by thiolation and subsequent oxidation to sulfonic acid groups. Those novel PSU derivatives were characterized by NMR, DSC, TGA, GPC, and titration. Based on these ionomers, we show the fabrication of pure and acid-base blend membranes with promising proton conductivities. These novel sulfonic acid groups containing materials are potentially promising candidates for membranes or ionomers in electrochemical applications such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWEs), or redox flow batteries (RFBs).Item Open Access Proton-conducting (blend) membranes based on sulfonated/phosphonated and basic polymers(2024) De Azpiazu Nadal, Ignasi; Tovar, Günter (Prof.)Aiming at new proton-conducting membranes, this thesis deals with the syntheses and characterizations of highly sulfonated poly(arylene sulfides) and other polysulfides for application as polymer electrolytes. The study focuses mainly on the analysis of the polymer structures that would improve the conductivity of current proton conducting membranes while maintaining their mechanical stability. In a first step, several polymers are obtained from which poly(arylene sulfide)s polymers look more promising for further functionalization. They are obtained by using mild reaction conditions of a polycondensation reaction between 4,4 ́-thiobisbenzenethiol (TBBT) and decafluorobiphenyl. Optimization of this reaction allows for the obtainment of higher molecular weights than the ones reported in the literature. In a second step, poly(arylene sulfides) were phosphonated and sulfonated by a nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) displacement reaction of the fluorine atoms of the fluorinated polymer sub-units using different agents. Highly sulfonated polymers were obtained when using sodium 3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonate and resulted in water soluble ionomers. Kinetic studies of this reaction were performed and several new sulfonated poly(arylene sulfides) were obtained. Finally, stable polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) with enhanced mechanical and chemical stability were obtained by blending these obtained ionomers with polybenzimidazole (PBIOO). These membranes were further characterized and in the best case a PEM with new sulfonated ionomer showed a conductivity 40 % higher than Nafion 212, used as a golden reference material. The best performing PEM’s obtained were further used in an electrolytic cell being part of eSCALED, a H2020 (MSC-ITN-2017. GA# 765376) European project which aim is to obtain a device that does the artificial photosynthesis in a more efficient way than the current devices.Item Open Access Spontaneous imbibition in thin anisotropic fibrous media : experiments and numerical modeling(2024) Maier, Lukas; Pauly, Leon; Gostick, Jeff T.; Gresser, Götz T.; Nieken, UlrichIn this study, we investigate the temporal and spatial evolution of wetting saturation during spontaneous imbibition in anisotropic fibrous porous media using both experimental and numerical methods. We present a novel experimental approach to systematically study spontaneous imbibition in these media, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of how microstructure influences wicking performance. The experimental method, which exhibits high reproducibility, was used to validate the numerical model. The numerical model was parameterized using only the porosity and filament diameter of the porous media in conjunction with the material properties of the imbibing fluid. The essential capillary saturation curve for the numerical model was derived using the pore morphology method. The numerical results effectively replicated the experimental results. Our experimental and numerical observations revealed a diffusive wetting front within the porous media, which progressively expanded and decelerated during the imbibition process. The results highlight the significant influence of filament size on the wetting saturation dynamics and the height of the wetting front during spontaneous imbibition.