Experimental data for “Mechanistic Insights into Boron Fouling on Ion Exchange Membranes: An Experimental and Theoretical Study”

LiCl/BA solutions are employed as model foulants, in which the hybridization state of boron is precisely modulated by adjusting the pH and concentration to monitor the fouling processes of AEMs and CEMs. The zeta potential, particle size distribution and boron speciation of boric acid solutions was measured using a Zetasizer Nano (Malvern, UK) and Raman spectrometer (ROMAN, Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA).

The transmission electron microscopy (TEM, JEM-F200, JEOL, Japan, 200kv) was employed to analyze and visualize the morphology of micro-scale boric acid aggregates on copper grids. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM, SU8010, Hitachi, Japan) and atomic force microscopy (AFM, Dimension Icon, Bruker, Germany) were used to obtain high-resolution images and the surface roughness of the fouled membranes. The surface chemical composition of IEMs was analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR, Nicolet iS5, Thermo Fisher, Waltham, USA).