Ion exchange membranes (IEMs) have great potential in diverse applications and play prominent roles in addressing energy and environment related issues. Over the past decade, the development of IEMs has attracted much research attention in terms of materials, preparation and applications, due to their academic and industrial values. In this review, the advances in diverse IEM materials are summarized, providing insights into the fundamental strategies to achieve targeted properties. Apart from the intrinsic features of materials, optimized preparation methods are crucial to improve the quality of IEMs, which are discussed in detail. New IEM materials bring new applications, which are summarized in this review. Finally, the opportunities and challenges in the chemical stability of IEM materials, controllable fabrication of IEMs, and integration applications of IEMs are identified. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.