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

Nataliya A Gvozdik; Evgeny A Sanginov; Lilia Z Abunaeva; Dmirty V Konev; Andrey A Usenko; Ksenia S Novikova; Keith J Stevenson; Yury A Dobrovolsky

doi:10.1002/cplu.202000618

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

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

Authors

Nataliya A Gvozdik¹, Evgeny A Sanginov², Lilia Z Abunaeva^{3

4}, Dmirty V Konev², Andrey A Usenko², Ksenia S Novikova², Keith J Stevenson¹, Yury A Dobrovolsky²

Affiliations

¹ Center for Energy Science and Technology, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Bolshoy Boulevard 30, 1, Moscow, 121205, Russia.
² Institute for Problems of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prosp. Akad. Semenova 1, 142432, Chernogolovka, Russia.
³ Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Instituskiy Per. 9, 141701, Dolgoprudny, Russia.
⁴ D.I. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Miusskaya sq. 9, 125047, Moscow, Russia.

PMID: 33155772
DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202000618

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.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't