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He S, Chai S, Li H. Nafion-Based Proton Exchange Membranes for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries. CHEMSUSCHEM 2025; 18:e202402506. [PMID: 40099579 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202402506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2024] [Revised: 02/08/2025] [Accepted: 02/10/2025] [Indexed: 03/20/2025]
Abstract
The sustainable development of future societies depends on advanced energy storage technologies. Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) are a preferred solution for large-scale, long-duration energy storage due to their high capacity, long lifespan, rapid response, and safety. The proton exchange membrane (PEM) is a pivotal component of VRFBs, playing a crucial role for conducting protons and preventing vanadium ion crossover. Currently, perfluorinated sulfonic acid membranes, represented by Nafion, are the most commonly used PEMs in VRFBs. However, the size discrepancy between vanadium ions (~0.6 nm) and the ionic domains in Nafion membranes (3-5 nm) leads to significant vanadium permeability, resulting in reduced battery performance. Therefore, rationally regulating the structure of Nafion membranes to enhance their conductive selectivity is an urgent issue. This review focuses on recent advancements in Nafion modification, offering valuable insights for inspiring the fundamental innovation of high-selective Nafion membranes for VRFB technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi He
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Qianjin Avenue 2699, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Shengchao Chai
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Qianjin Avenue 2699, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Haolong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Qianjin Avenue 2699, Changchun, 130012, China
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Long J, Huang W, Li H, Chen L, Li J, Chen J, Lu A, Zhang Y. Construction and Investigation of Novel Cross-Linked Fluorine-Containing Sulfonated Polyimide Membranes for VFB Application. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:32611-32618. [PMID: 38864643 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c03314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Membrane with remarkable proton conductance and selectivity plays a key role in obtaining high vanadium flow battery (VFB) performance. In this work, the trade-off effect between proton conductance and vanadium ion blocking was overcome by the introduction of a cross-linking structure to prepare covalent cross-linked fluorine-containing sulfonated polyimide (CFSPI-PVA) membranes. Herein, the CFSPI-PVA-15 membrane possesses excellent comprehensive properties, including acceptable area resistance (0.21 Ω cm2), lower vanadium ion permeability (0.76 × 10-7 cm2 min-1), and remarkable proton selectivity (3.11 × 105 min cm-3) compared with the commercial Nafion 212 membrane. At the same time, the CFSPI-PVA-15 membrane exhibits higher coulomb efficiencies (97.26%-99.34%) and energy efficiencies (68.65%-88.11%) and a longer self-discharge duration (29.2 h) in contrast with the Nafion 212 membrane. Moreover, 500 cycles of the CFSPI-PVA-15 membrane at 160 mA cm-2 are also stably executed. The internal reasons for the improved chemical stability of the CFSPI-PVA-15 membrane are clarified from theoretical calculations with the mean square displacement value and fractional free volume. Therefore, the CFSPI-PVA-15 membrane exhibits great potential for application in VFB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Long
- State Key Laboratory of Environment-friendly Energy Materials, Engineering Research Center of Biomass Materials (Ministry of Education), and School of Materials and Chemistry, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, PR China
| | - Wenheng Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Environment-friendly Energy Materials, Engineering Research Center of Biomass Materials (Ministry of Education), and School of Materials and Chemistry, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, PR China
| | - Huiting Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environment-friendly Energy Materials, Engineering Research Center of Biomass Materials (Ministry of Education), and School of Materials and Chemistry, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, PR China
| | - Liang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Environment-friendly Energy Materials, Engineering Research Center of Biomass Materials (Ministry of Education), and School of Materials and Chemistry, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, PR China
| | - Jinchao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environment-friendly Energy Materials, Engineering Research Center of Biomass Materials (Ministry of Education), and School of Materials and Chemistry, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, PR China
| | - Jijun Chen
- Sichuan Weilide Energy Co., Ltd, Leshan 614000, PR China
| | - Aibing Lu
- Jiangsu Yabao Insulation Material Co., Ltd, Yangzhou 225000, PR China
| | - Yaping Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environment-friendly Energy Materials, Engineering Research Center of Biomass Materials (Ministry of Education), and School of Materials and Chemistry, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, PR China
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Zeng L, Lu X, Yuan C, Yuan W, Chen K, Guo J, Zhang X, Wang J, Liao Q, Wei Z. Self-Enhancement of Perfluorinated Sulfonic Acid Proton Exchange Membrane with Its Own Nanofibers. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2305711. [PMID: 38342600 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202305711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
High-performance proton exchange membrane (PEM) is crucial for the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Herein, a novel "self-enhanced" PEM is fabricated for the first time, which is composed of perfluorinated sulfonic acid (PFSA) resin and its own nanofibers as reinforcement. With this strategy, the interfacial compatibility issue of conventional fiber-reinforced membranes is fully addressed and up to 80 wt% loading of PFSA nanofibers can be incorporated. Furthermore, on account of chain orientation within the PFSA nanofiber, single fiber exhibits super-high conductivity of 1.45 S cm-1, leading to state-of-the-art proton conductivity (1.1 S cm-1) of the as-prepared "self-enhanced" PEM so far, which is an order of magnitude increase compared with the bulk PFSA membrane (0.29 S cm-1). It surpasses any commercial PEM including the popular GORE-SELECT and Nafion HP membranes and is the only PEM with conductivity at 100 S cm-1 level. In addition, the mechanical strength and swelling ratio of membranes are both substantially improved simultaneously. Based on the high-performance "self-enhanced" PEM, high peak power densities of up to 3.6 W cm-2 and 1.7 W cm-2 are achieved in H2-O2 and H2-Air fuel cells, respectively. This strategy can be applied in any polymeric electrolyte membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingping Zeng
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoli Lu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, P. R. China
| | - Caili Yuan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, P. R. China
| | - Wei Yuan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, P. R. China
| | - Ke Chen
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, P. R. China
| | - Jingying Guo
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoxi Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, P. R. China
| | - Jianchuan Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, P. R. China
| | - Qiang Liao
- School of Energy and Power Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, P. R. China
| | - Zidong Wei
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, P. R. China
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Zhai L, Zhu YL, Wang G, He H, Wang F, Jiang F, Chai S, Li X, Guo H, Wu L, Li H. Ionic-Nanophase Hybridization of Nafion by Supramolecular Patching for Enhanced Proton Selectivity in Redox Flow Batteries. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:3887-3896. [PMID: 37094227 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c00518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Nafion, as the mostly used proton exchange membrane material in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs), encounters serious vanadium permeation problems due to the large size difference between its anionic nanophase (3-5 nm) and cationic vanadium ions (∼0.6 nm). Bulk hybridization usually suppresses the vanadium permeation at the expense of proton conductivity since conventional additives tend to randomly agglomerate and damage the nanophase continuity from unsuitable sizes and intrinsic incompatibility. Here, we report the ionic-nanophase hybridization strategy of Nafion membranes by using fluorinated block copolymers (FBCs) and polyoxometalates (POMs) as supramolecular patching additives. The cooperative noncovalent interactions among Nafion, interfacial-active FBCs, and POMs can construct a 1 nm-shrunk ionic nanophase with abundant proton transport sites, preserved continuity, and efficient vanadium screeners, which leads to a comprehensive enhancement in proton conductivity, selectivity, and VRFB performance. These results demonstrate the intriguing potential of the supramolecular patching strategy in precisely tuning nanostructured electrolyte membranes for improved performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China
| | - You-Liang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China
| | - Gang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China
| | - Haibo He
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China
| | - Feiran Wang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Rd., Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Fengjing Jiang
- CIC energiGUNE, Alava Technology Park, Albert Einstein 48, 01510 Miñano, Álava, Spain
| | - Shengchao Chai
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China
| | - Xiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China
| | - Haikun Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China
| | - Lixin Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China
| | - Haolong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China
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Zhang Y, Zhang D, Luan C, Zhang Y, Yu W, Liu J, Yan C. An Economical Composite Membrane with High Ion Selectivity for Vanadium Flow Batteries. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:272. [PMID: 36984659 PMCID: PMC10057319 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13030272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The ion exchange membrane of the Nafion series widely used in vanadium flow batteries (VFBs) is characterized by its high cost and high vanadium permeability, which limit the further commercialization of VFBs. Herein, a thin composite membrane enabled by a low-cost microporous polyethylene (PE) substrate and perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) resin is proposed to reduce the cost of the membrane. Meanwhile, the rigid PE substrate limits the swelling of the composite membrane, which effectively reduces the penetration of vanadium ions and improves the ion selectivity of the composite membrane. Benefiting from such a rational design, a VFB assembled with the PE/PFSA composite membrane exhibited a higher coulombic efficiency (CE ≈ 96.8%) compared with commercial Nafion212 at 200 mA cm-2. Significantly, the energy efficiency maintained stability within 200 cycles with a slow decay rate. In practical terms, the thin PE/PFSA composite membrane with low cost and high ion selectivity can make an ideal membrane candidate in VFBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue 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, Hefei 230026, China
| | - 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, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Chao Luan
- College of Chemistry, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110036, China
| | - Yifan 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, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Wenjie Yu
- College of Chemistry, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110036, 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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Shi N, Wang G, Mu T, Li H, Liu R, Yang J. Long side-chain imidazolium functionalized poly(vinyl chloride) membranes with low cost and high performance for vanadium redox flow batteries. J Mol Liq 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2023.121401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
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Usability of unstable metal organic framework enabled by carbonization within flow battery membrane under harsh environment. J Memb Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Akbaşak T, Kodal M, Mert O, Özkoç G. Novel and eco-friendly hydrophobic treatment of cotton and polyester fabrics based-on octavinyl and aminopropylisobutyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (OL-POSS and AM-POSS). POLYMER 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2023.125723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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TiO 2 Containing Hybrid Composite Polymer Membranes for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14081617. [PMID: 35458366 PMCID: PMC9026947 DOI: 10.3390/polym14081617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB) have captured immense attraction in electrochemical energy storage systems due to their long cycle life, flexibility, high-energy efficiency, time, and reliability. In VRFB, polymer membranes play a significant role in transporting protons for current transmission and act as barriers between positive and negative electrodes/electrolytes. Commercial polymer membranes (such as Nafion) are the widely used IEM in VRFBs due to their outstanding chemical stability and proton conductivity. However, the membrane cost and increased vanadium ions permeability limit its commercial application. Therefore, various modified perfluorinated and non-perfluorinated membranes have been developed. This comprehensive review primarily focuses on recent developments of hybrid polymer composite membranes with inorganic TiO2 nanofillers for VRFB applications. Hence, various fabrications are performed in the membrane with TiO2 to alter their physicochemical properties for attaining perfect IEM. Additionally, embedding the -SO3H groups by sulfonation on the nanofiller surface enhances membrane proton conductivity and mechanical strength. Incorporating TiO2 and modified TiO2 (sTiO2, and organic silica modified TiO2) into Nafion and other non-perfluorinated membranes (sPEEK and sPI) has effectively influenced the polymer membrane properties for better VRFB performances. This review provides an overall spotlight on the impact of TiO2-based nanofillers in polymer matrix for VRFB applications.
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