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Park EJ, Jannasch P, Miyatake K, Bae C, Noonan K, Fujimoto C, Holdcroft S, Varcoe JR, Henkensmeier D, Guiver MD, Kim YS. Aryl ether-free polymer electrolytes for electrochemical and energy devices. Chem Soc Rev 2024; 53:5704-5780. [PMID: 38666439 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs00186e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Anion exchange polymers (AEPs) play a crucial role in green hydrogen production through anion exchange membrane water electrolysis. The chemical stability of AEPs is paramount for stable system operation in electrolysers and other electrochemical devices. Given the instability of aryl ether-containing AEPs under high pH conditions, recent research has focused on quaternized aryl ether-free variants. The primary goal of this review is to provide a greater depth of knowledge on the synthesis of aryl ether-free AEPs targeted for electrochemical devices. Synthetic pathways that yield polyaromatic AEPs include acid-catalysed polyhydroxyalkylation, metal-promoted coupling reactions, ionene synthesis via nucleophilic substitution, alkylation of polybenzimidazole, and Diels-Alder polymerization. Polyolefinic AEPs are prepared through addition polymerization, ring-opening metathesis, radiation grafting reactions, and anionic polymerization. Discussions cover structure-property-performance relationships of AEPs in fuel cells, redox flow batteries, and water and CO2 electrolysers, along with the current status of scale-up synthesis and commercialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Joo Park
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
| | | | - Kenji Miyatake
- University of Yamanashi, Kofu 400-8510, Japan
- Waseda University, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
| | - Chulsung Bae
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
| | - Kevin Noonan
- Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Cy Fujimoto
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
| | | | | | - Dirk Henkensmeier
- Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, South Korea
- KIST School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul 02792, South Korea
- KU-KIST School, Korea University, Seoul 02841, South Korea
| | - Michael D Guiver
- State Key Laboratory of Engines, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
| | - Yu Seung Kim
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
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2
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Wang Q, Wang L, Zhang M, Peng Z, Lu Y, Lv P, Yang J. Preparation of novel membranes with multiple hydrogen bonding sites and π-conjugated structure for high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Chem Commun (Camb) 2024; 60:5318-5321. [PMID: 38666525 DOI: 10.1039/d4cc01089b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2024]
Abstract
A novel poly(dibenzofuran isatin) (PBFI) with π conjugated structure was synthesized. Through the facile ring-opening reaction, flexible and hydrophilic side chains with hydroxyl and quaternary ammounium groups were grafted into PBFI. Obtained PBFI-x%GTA membranes with twisted polymer structure and multiple hydrogen bonding sites displayed high HT-PEMFC performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Wang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China.
| | - Lele Wang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China.
| | - Meichen Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China.
| | - Zhen Peng
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China.
| | - Yao Lu
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China.
| | - Peiru Lv
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China.
| | - Jingshuai Yang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China.
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3
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Zhang D, Huang K, Xia Y, Cao H, Dai L, Qu K, Xiao L, Fan Y, Xu Z. Two-Dimensional MFI-Type Zeolite Flow Battery Membranes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202310945. [PMID: 37670427 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202310945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Vanadium flow battery (VFB) is one of the most reliable stationary electrochemical energy-storage technologies, and a membrane with high vanadium resistance and proton conductivity is essential for manufacturing high-performance VFBs. In this study, a two-dimensional (2D) MFI-type zeolite membrane was fabricated from zeolite nanosheet modules, which displayed excellent vanadium resistance (0.07 mmol L-1 h-1 ) and proton conductivity (0.16 S cm-1 ), yielding a coulombic efficiency of 93.9 %, a voltage efficiency of 87.6 %, and an energy efficiency of 82.3 % at 40 mA cm-2 . The self-discharge period of a VFB equipped with 2D MFI-type zeolite membrane increased up to 116.2 h, which was significantly longer than that of the commercial perfluorinated sulfonate membrane (45.9 h). Furthermore, the corresponding battery performance remained stable over 1000 cycles (>1500 h) at 80 mA cm-2 . These findings demonstrate that 2D MFI-type membranes are promising ion-conductive membranes applicable for stationary electrochemical energy-storage devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dezhu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing, 211816, China
- Suzhou Laboratory, No. 388 Ruoshui Road, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Kang Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing, 211816, China
- Suzhou Laboratory, No. 388 Ruoshui Road, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Yongsheng Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing, 211816, China
| | - Hongyan Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing, 211816, China
| | - Liheng Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, No. 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Kai Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, No. 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Lan Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing, 211816, China
| | - Yiqun Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing, 211816, China
- Suzhou Laboratory, No. 388 Ruoshui Road, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Zhi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, No. 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, China
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Sulfonated polyimide membrane containing poly [bis (4-aminodiphenyl bissulfonate) phosphoronitrile] flexible chains for vanadium redox flow battery. POLYMER 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.125667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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5
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Chen Y, Li A, Xiong P, Xiao S, Sheng Z, Peng S, He Q. Three birds with one stone: Microphase separation induced by densely grafted short chains in ion conducting membranes. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.121119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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6
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Zhang B, Fu Y, Liu Q, Li L, Zhang X, Yang Z, Zhang E, Wang K, Wang G, Zhang Z, Zhang S. Swelling-Induced Quaternized Anthrone-Containing Poly(aryl ether ketone) Membranes with Low Area Resistance and High Ion Selectivity for Vanadium Flow Batteries. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:50858-50869. [PMID: 36331393 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c14107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A vanadium flow battery (VFB) is one of the most promising electrochemical energy storage technologies. However, membranes for VFBs still suffer from high cost or low conductivity and poor stability. Here, we report new quaternized anthrone-containing poly(aryl ether ketone) (QAnPEK) membranes for VFBs. QAnPEK membranes with moderate ion exchange capacity (1.26 mmol g-1) were swelling-induced in H3PO4 (50 wt %) to form wider ion transport pathways that significantly enhanced membrane conductivity (e.g., 0.49 Ω cm2 for the QAnPEK-virgin membrane and 0.12 Ω cm2 for the swelling-induced QAnPEK-90 membrane). The bulky rigid anthrone-containing backbone provided high swelling resistance and enabled QAnPEK membranes to have high ion selectivity. As a result, QAnPEK membranes displayed low area resistance, high ion selectivity, and robust mechanical strength. The QAnPEK-90 membrane yielded excellent energy efficiencies (92.4% at 80 mA cm-2, 85.1% at 200 mA cm-2, and 80.3% at 280 mA cm-2). Moreover, QAnPEK membranes exhibited outstanding in situ and ex situ stability, for example, the VFB with the QAnPEK-40 membrane demonstrated highly stable battery performance for 3000 cycles at 160 mA cm-2. QAnPEK membranes are attractive candidates for VFB application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bengui Zhang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang110142, China
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian116024, China
| | - Yanshi Fu
- College of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang110142, China
| | - Qian Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian116024, China
| | - Lu Li
- College of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang110142, China
| | - Xueting Zhang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang110142, China
| | - Zhirong Yang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang110142, China
| | - Enlei Zhang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang110142, China
| | - Kangjun Wang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang110142, China
| | - Guosheng Wang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang110142, China
| | - Zhigang Zhang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang110142, China
| | - Shouhai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian116024, China
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Mu T, Tang W, Shi N, Wang G, Wang T, Wang T, Yang J. Novel ether-free membranes based on poly(p-terphenylene methylimidazole) for vanadium redox flow battery applications. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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8
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Advanced anion-selective membranes with pendant quaternary ammonium for neutral aqueous supporting redox flow battery. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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9
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Alkali-free quaternized polybenzimidazole membranes with high phosphoric acid retention ability for high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Robust Adamantane-Based Membranes with Enhanced Conductivity for Vanadium Flow Battery Application. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14081552. [PMID: 35458299 PMCID: PMC9029318 DOI: 10.3390/polym14081552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Membranes with high conductivity, high selectivity, and high stability are urgently needed for high-power-density vanadium flow batteries (VFBs). Enhancing membrane conductivity presents many challenges, often resulting in sacrificing membrane selectivity and mechanical strength. To overcome this, new robust adamantane-based membranes with enhanced conductivity are constructed for VFB. Low-content basic piperazine (IEC = 0.78 mmol g−1) and hydrophilic hydroxyl groups are introduced into highly rigid, hydrophobic adamantane containing poly(aryl ether ketone) backbone (PAPEK) and then selectively swelled to induce microphase separation and form ion transport pathways. The highly rigid and hydrophobic PAPEK exhibits high swelling resistance and provides the membranes with slight swelling, high selectivity, and high mechanical strength. The selective swelling temperature has a significant influence on the areal resistance of the resulting membrane, e.g., the PAPEK-130 membrane, when selectively swelled at 130 °C, has low areal resistance (0.22 Ω∙cm2), which is approximately two-fifths that of the PAEKK-60 membrane (treated at 60 °C, 0.57 Ω∙cm2). Consequently, the resulting PAPEK membranes exhibit low swelling, high selectivity, and low areal resistance, with the VFB constructed with a PAPEK-90 membrane exhibiting excellent energy efficiency (91.7%, at 80 mA∙cm−2, and 80.0% at 240 mA∙cm−2) and stable cycling performance for 2000 cycles.
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Zhang B, Fu Y, Liu Q, Zhang X, Yang Z, Jiang H, Zhang E, Wang K, Wang G, Zhang Z, Zhang S. Steric-hindrance benzimidazole constructed highly conductive and robust membrane for vanadium flow battery. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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12
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Zhang B, Zhao M, Liu Q, Zhang X, Fu Y, Zhang E, Wang G, Zhang Z, Zhang S. Advanced anion exchange membranes with selective swelling-induced ion transport channels for vanadium flow battery application. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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13
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Liu M, Hu X, Hu B, Liu L, Li N. Soluble poly(aryl piperidinium) with extended aromatic segments as anion exchange membranes for alkaline fuel cells and water electrolysis. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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14
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He Z, Wang G, Wei S, Li G, Zhang J, Chen J, Wang R. A novel fluorinated acid-base sulfonated polyimide membrane with sulfoalkyl side-chain for vanadium redox flow battery. Electrochim Acta 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2021.139434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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15
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A Chemistry and Microstructure Perspective on Ion‐Conducting Membranes for Redox Flow Batteries. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202105619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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16
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Tang W, Yang Y, Liu X, Dong J, Li H, Yang J. Long side-chain quaternary ammonium group functionalized polybenzimidazole based anion exchange membranes and their applications. Electrochim Acta 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2021.138919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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17
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Xiong P, Zhang L, Chen Y, Peng S, Yu G. A Chemistry and Microstructure Perspective on Ion-Conducting Membranes for Redox Flow Batteries. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:24770-24798. [PMID: 34165884 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202105619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are among the most promising grid-scale energy storage technologies. However, the development of RFBs with high round-trip efficiency, high rate capability, and long cycle life for practical applications is highly restricted by the lack of appropriate ion-conducting membranes. Promising RFB membranes should separate positive and negative species completely and conduct balancing ions smoothly. Specific systems must meet additional requirements, such as high chemical stability in corrosive electrolytes, good resistance to organic solvents in nonaqueous systems, and excellent mechanical strength and flexibility. These rigorous requirements put high demands on the membrane design, essentially the chemistry and microstructure associated with ion transport channels. In this Review, we summarize the design rationale of recently reported RFB membranes at the molecular level, with an emphasis on new chemistry, novel microstructures, and innovative fabrication strategies. Future challenges and potential research opportunities within this field are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Advanced Catalytic Engineer Research Center of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, P. R. China
| | - Leyuan Zhang
- Materials Science and Engineering Program and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Yuyue Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Advanced Catalytic Engineer Research Center of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, P. R. China
| | - Sangshan Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Advanced Catalytic Engineer Research Center of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, P. R. China
| | - Guihua Yu
- Materials Science and Engineering Program and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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Chen Y, Li Y, Xu J, Chen S, Chen D. Densely Quaternized Fluorinated Poly(fluorenyl ether)s with Excellent Conductivity and Stability for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:18923-18933. [PMID: 33852269 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c04250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cationic group distribution and elemental composition are two key factors determining the conductivity and stability of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). Herein, fluorinated tetra-dimethylaminomethyl-poly(fluorenyl ether)s (TAPFE)s were designed as the polymer precursors, which were reacted with 6-bromo-N,N,N-trimethylhexan-1-aminium bromide to introduce di-quaternary ammonium (DQA) containing side chains. The resultant DQA-TAPFEs with a rigid fluorinated backbone and flexible multi-cationic side chains exhibited distinct micro-phase separation as probed by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). DQA-TAPFE-20 with an ion exchange capacity (IEC) of 1.55 mmol g-1 exhibited a SO42- conductivity of 10.1 mS cm-1 at room temperature, much higher than that of a control AEM with an identical backbone but spaced out cationic groups, which had a similar IEC of 1.60 mmol g-1 but a SO42- conductivity of only 3.2 mS cm-1. Due to the Donnan repulsion effect, the DQA-TAPFEs exhibited significantly lower VO2+ permeability than Nafion 212. The VRFB assembled with DQA-TAPFE-20 achieved an energy efficiency of 80.4% at 80 mA cm-1 and a capacity retention rate of 82.9% after the 50th cycling test, both higher than those of the VRFB assembled with Nafion 212 and other AEMs in the literature. Therefore, the rationally designed DQA-TAPFEs are promising candidates for VRFB applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Chen
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Yanyan Li
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Jiaqi Xu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Shaoyun Chen
- College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou 362000, China
| | - Dongyang Chen
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
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Zhang D, Xu Z, Zhang X, Zhao L, Zhao Y, Wang S, Liu W, Che X, Yang J, Liu J, Yan C. Oriented Proton-Conductive Nanochannels Boosting a Highly Conductive Proton-Exchange Membrane for a Vanadium Redox Flow Battery. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:4051-4061. [PMID: 33434002 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c20847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we propose a sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) composite proton-conductive membrane based on a 3-(1-hydro-imidazolium-3-yl)-propane-1-sulfonate (Him-pS) additive to break through the trade-off between conductivity and selectivity of a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). Specifically, Him-pS enables an oriented distribution of the SPEEK matrix to construct highly conductive proton nanochannels throughout the membrane arising from the noncovalent interaction. Moreover, the "acid-base pair" effect from an imidazolium group and a sulfonic group further facilitates the proton transport through the nanochannels. Meanwhile, the structure of the acid-base pair is further confirmed based on density functional theory calculations. Material and electrochemical characterizations indicate that the nanochannels with a size of 16.5 nm are vertically distributed across the membrane, which not only accelerate proton conductivity (31.54 mS cm-1) but also enhance the vanadium-ion selectivity (39.9 × 103 S min cm-3). Benefiting from such oriented proton-conductive nanochannels in the membrane, the cell delivers an excellent Coulombic efficiency (CE, ≈ 98.8%) and energy efficiency (EE, ≈ 78.5%) at 300 mA cm-2. More significantly, the cell maintains a stable energy efficiency over 600 charge-discharge cycles with only a 5.18% decay. Accordingly, this work provides a promising fabrication strategy for a high-performance membrane of VRFB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denghua Zhang
- Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Zeyu Xu
- Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Xihao Zhang
- Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Lina Zhao
- Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Yingying Zhao
- Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Shaoliang Wang
- Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Weihua Liu
- Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Xuefu Che
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Jingshuai Yang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
| | - Jianguo Liu
- Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Chuanwei Yan
- Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
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