Membrane degradation in redox flow batteries

Abstract

ABSTRACTRedox flow batteries are a promising technology to enable the middle term storage of fluctuating renewable electricity production. The membrane is a key component in the battery system and to further develop and improve the battery systems, detailed understanding of the membrane aging and degradation mechanisms are required. This review gives a comprehensive overview about the various membrane degradation mechanisms in the most relevant redox flow battery systems. We discuss different testing approaches for membranes and compare the influence of different battery chemistries, testing protocols and degradation mechanisms. Based on the current state of the art, an outlook on the greatest challenges for developing novel and more stable membrane materials is given.

Keywords

• Redox flow batteries
• membranes
• degradation mechanism
• energy storage
• polymer science