Wet chemical modification

Crosslinkable polymers for stable coatings

We have developed a variety of different polymers for the wet chemical coating of membranes. These polymers are thermally or photochemically crosslinkable and therefore the resulting coatings are stable in the long term.

In this way, we can provide coatings with hydrophilic to hydrophobic properties or introduce functional groups (e.g. amines) that serve as a basis for further chemical modifications.

 

Continuous roll-to-roll coating

At Fraunhofer IGB we have the infrastructure to produce continuous roll-to-roll coatings for both hollow fiber and flat membranes. 

By controlling the wetting properties of the membranes, it is possible to control whether the coating is on the surface of the membrane or inside the pores. Furthermore, there are coating systems that are also suitable for coating inside hollow fibers. In addition to polymer coating, we also have other technologies at our disposal, such as interfacial polymerization or grafting.

Our research

Moisture management

Humidifying membranes for water management in mobile fuel cell systems.

Dense metal membranes for hydrogen purification

Membranes for the separation of hydrogen from other gases.

Supported ionic liquid membranes

Thanks to their unique chemical and thermal properties, ionic liquids are used as absorbers (supported ionic liquid membranes, SILM) for gas separation.

Reference projects

September 2022 - August 2025

FLUID

Fluorine-free humidifying membrane and innovative membrane winding element for cathode air humidification in PEM fuel cells

A crucial factor for the performance and long-term stability of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells is the water management in the fuel cell. The (cathode) humidifier plays a central role in this. Within the framework of the project, novel fluorine-free flat membranes in particular are to be developed and validated at the IGB.

January 2017 – December 2019

MAVO MEGA

Functional membranes for save and energy efficient gas separation

So far, the industrial use of technical separation membranes has been largely set to liquid filtration and less to gas separation. In the MEGA project, mixed‑matrix membranes were developed at the Fraunhofer IGB in cooperation with three other Fraunhofer institutes, which have great potential for gas separation due to their improved separation properties compared to pure polymer coatings.