SEM diagnostics of the surface of MK-40 and MA-40 heterogeneous ion-exchange membranes in the swollen state after thermal treatment

The morphology of the surface of MK-40 and MA-40 ion-exchange membranes in the swollen state after chemical and thermal treatment is studied using scanning electron microscopy. The distribution of portions of the ion exchanger on the surface of heterogeneous membranes is found to be of a complex stochastic nature; their sizes for the MK-40 and MA-40 membranes are 5–30 and 8–40 μm, respectively, while the sizes typical for the secondary porous structure are 2–8 μm. An increase in the share of the ion-exchange component of the surface (by 20–40%), the sizes of the ion-exchange portions (by 20%), and the surface porosity (by two-three times) in the samples subjected to thermal treatment is revealed.