SPEEK Membrane of Ultrahigh Stability Enhanced by Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes for Vanadium Redox Flow Battery

Mei Ding; Xiao Ling; Du Yuan; Yuanhang Cheng; Chun Wu; Zi-Sheng Chao; Lidong Sun; Lidong Sun; Chuanwei Yan; Chuankun Jia; Chuankun Jia; Chuankun Jia

doi:10.3389/fchem.2018.00286

Frontiers in Chemistry (Jul 2018)

SPEEK Membrane of Ultrahigh Stability Enhanced by Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes for Vanadium Redox Flow Battery

Mei Ding,
Xiao Ling,
Du Yuan,
Yuanhang Cheng,
Chun Wu,
Zi-Sheng Chao,
Lidong Sun,
Lidong Sun,
Chuanwei Yan,
Chuankun Jia,
Chuankun Jia,
Chuankun Jia

Affiliations

Mei Ding: College of Materials Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, China
Xiao Ling: Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
Du Yuan: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Yuanhang Cheng: Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
Chun Wu: College of Materials Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, China
Zi-Sheng Chao: College of Materials Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, China
Lidong Sun: State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
Lidong Sun: Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Nankai University, Tianjin, China
Chuanwei Yan: Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
Chuankun Jia: College of Materials Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, China
Chuankun Jia: Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
Chuankun Jia: Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Nankai University, Tianjin, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2018.00286
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 6

Abstract

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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−2 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.

Published in Frontiers in Chemistry

ISSN: 2296-2646 (Online)
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry
Website: http://journal.frontiersin.org/journal/chemistry

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