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. 2020 Dec;85(12):2580-2585.
doi: 10.1002/cplu.202000618. Epub 2020 Nov 6.

A Composite Membrane Based on Sulfonated Polystyrene Implanted in a Stretched PTFE Film for Vanadium Flow Batteries

Nataliya A Gvozdik  1 , Evgeny A Sanginov  2 , Lilia Z Abunaeva  3   4 , Dmirty V Konev  2 , Andrey A Usenko  2 , Ksenia S Novikova  2 , Keith J Stevenson  1 , Yury A Dobrovolsky  2
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A Composite Membrane Based on Sulfonated Polystyrene Implanted in a Stretched PTFE Film for Vanadium Flow Batteries

Nataliya A Gvozdik et al. Chempluschem. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

The quality of ion-selective membranes determines the efficiency of Vanadium Flow Batteries (VFBs), and alternatives to expensive Nafion™ materials are actively being searched for. One of the membrane architecture approaches is to imitate the Nafion™ structure with two separate phases: a conductive sulfonated polymer and an inner matrix. We introduce a new composite material based on sulfonated styrene polymerized inside the pores of a stretched PTFE matrix. Variation of polystyrene content and a sulfonation degree allowed to obtain membranes with IEC from to 0.96 to 1.84 mmol/g. Balanced vanadium permeability (ca. 5.5 ⋅ 10-6 cm2 /min) and proton conductivity (ca. 50 mS/cm) were achieved for the material with 21-23 % polystyrene content and a sulfonation degree up to 94 %. Membranes showed stable cycling with 81 % energy efficiency in a single-cell VFB. This work contributes to the existing knowledge of Nafion alternatives by providing a cheap and scalable method of membrane production.

Keywords: electrochemistry; membranes; polymer composites; sulfonated polystyrene; vanadium flow batteries.

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