SPPEK/TPA composite membrane as a separator of vanadium redox flow battery

• Published in: Journal of membrane science Vol. 437; pp. 114 - 121
• Main Authors: Wang, Nanfang, Yu, Jingang, Zhou, Zhi, Fang, Dong, Liu, Suqin, Liu, Younian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 15.06.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; artificial membranes; batteries; Battery; Chemistry; Colloidal state and disperse state; Corrosion resistance; Diffraction; Direct energy conversion and energy accumulation; Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering; Electrical power engineering; Electrochemical conversion: primary and secondary batteries, fuel cells; energy efficiency; Energy management; energy-dispersive X-ray analysis; Ethers; Exact sciences and technology; Exchange resins and membranes; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; General and physical chemistry; Ionic selectivity; ions; Low cost; Membranes; permeability; phosphotungstic acid; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Scanning electron microscopy; spectroscopy; SPPEK/TPA composite membrane; Technology of polymers; Vanadium; Vanadium permeability; Vanadium redox flow battery; X-radiation; X-ray diffraction; Vanadium permeability; Ionic selectivity; Vanadium redox flow battery; Low cost; SPPEK/TPA composite membrane; Membrane separation; Heteropolyacid; Polymeric membrane; Battery; Vanadium; Transition metal; Permeability
• ISSN: 0376-7388; 1873-3123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2013.02.053

To improve the performance of a low cost sulfonated poly(phthalazinone ether ketone) (SPPEK) membrane in vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB), composite membranes composed of SPPEK and tungstophosphoric acid (TPA) with 8–25wt% concentration were prepared by solution casting. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the SPPEK/TPA composite membrane revealed that TPA had excellent compatibility with SPPEK in the bulk of the membrane. The effect of the TPA concentration on the primary properties, permeability of vanadium ions and ionic selectivity, and chemical stability of the composite membrane was investigated. The single cell tests showed that the VRFB employing the SPPEK–TPA-17 membrane with 17wt% TPA exhibited a higher coulombic efficiency (98.75% vs. 92.81%) and energy efficiency (74.58% vs. 73.83%) than those of the Nafion system. Cycling and chemical stability tests indicated that the SPPEK/TPA composite membrane had high stability in the VRFB system. ► A SPPEK/TPA composite membrane by the solution casting method was investigated in VRFB application. ► The introduction of TPA (8–25wt%) can improve the proton conductivity. ► VRFB with the composite membrane exhibited superior performance compared with Nafion membrane.