Ding Mei, Ling Xiao, Yuan Du, Cheng Yuanhang, Wu Chun, Chao Zi-Sheng, Sun Lidong, Yan Chuanwei, Jia Chuankun
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, China.
Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China.
Front Chem. 2018 Jul 26;6:286. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2018.00286. eCollection 2018.
Proton exchange membrane is the key factor of vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) as their stability largely determine the lifetime of the VRB. In this study, a SPEEK/MWCNTs-OH composite membrane with ultrahigh stability is constructed by blending sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) with multi-walled carbon nanotubes toward VRB application. The carbon nanotubes disperse homogeneously in the SPEEK matrix with the assistance of hydroxyl group. The blended membrane exhibits 94.2 and 73.0% capacity retention after 100 and 500 cycles, respectively in a VRB single cell with coulombic efficiency of over 99.4% at 60 mA cm indicating outstanding capability of reducing the permeability of vanadium ions and enhancing the transport of protons. The ultrahigh stability and low cost of the composite membrane make it a competent candidate for the next generation larger-scale vanadium redox flow battery.
质子交换膜是钒氧化还原液流电池(VRB)的关键因素,因为其稳定性在很大程度上决定了VRB的使用寿命。在本研究中,通过将磺化聚醚醚酮(SPEEK)与多壁碳纳米管混合,构建了一种具有超高稳定性的SPEEK/MWCNTs-OH复合膜,用于VRB应用。在羟基的辅助下,碳纳米管在SPEEK基体中均匀分散。在库仑效率超过99.4%、电流密度为60 mA/cm²的VRB单电池中,该复合膜在100次和500次循环后分别表现出94.2%和73.0%的容量保持率,表明其在降低钒离子渗透率和增强质子传输方面具有出色能力。该复合膜的超高稳定性和低成本使其成为下一代大规模钒氧化还原液流电池的有力候选材料。