A super thin polytetrafluoroethylene/sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) membrane with 91% energy efficiency and high stability for vanadium redox flow battery

摘要

In order to further decrease the cost and enhance the durability of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) membrane for vanadium redox flow battery, a super thin (40 m) polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/SPEEK (PS) membrane is prepared. The physico-chemical properties and single cell performance of PS membranes prepared with different casting solvents including NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone), DMF (N,N-dimethylformamide), and DMAc (N,N-dimethylacetamide) have been investigated. Results show that the energy efficiency of VRB with PS/DMF can reach up to 91.2% at the current density of 40 mA cm(-2), which is 11.1% and 6.4% higher than that of the commercial Nafion 212 and pristine SPEEK membrane, respectively. In addition, charge-discharge test over 150 times proves that the PS/DMF membrane possesses high stability and thus it is suitable for VRB application. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43593.