Development of efficient aqueous organic redox flow batteries using ion-sieving sulfonated polymer membranes

Chunchun Ye, Anqi Wang, Charlotte Breakwell, Rui Tan, C. Grazia Bezzu, Elwin Hunter-Sellars, Daryl R. Williams, Nigel P. Brandon, Peter A. A. Klusener, Anthony R. Kucernak, Kim E. Jelfs, Neil B. McKeown () and Qilei Song ()
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Chunchun Ye: Imperial College London
Anqi Wang: Imperial College London
Charlotte Breakwell: Imperial College London
Rui Tan: Imperial College London
C. Grazia Bezzu: University of Edinburgh
Elwin Hunter-Sellars: Imperial College London
Daryl R. Williams: Imperial College London
Nigel P. Brandon: Imperial College London
Peter A. A. Klusener: Shell Global Solutions International B.V., Shell Technology Centre Amsterdam, Grasweg 31
Anthony R. Kucernak: Imperial College London
Kim E. Jelfs: Imperial College London
Neil B. McKeown: University of Edinburgh
Qilei Song: Imperial College London

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Redox flow batteries using aqueous organic-based electrolytes are promising candidates for developing cost-effective grid-scale energy storage devices. However, a significant drawback of these batteries is the cross-mixing of active species through the membrane, which causes battery performance degradation. To overcome this issue, here we report size-selective ion-exchange membranes prepared by sulfonation of a spirobifluorene-based microporous polymer and demonstrate their efficient ion sieving functions in flow batteries. The spirobifluorene unit allows control over the degree of sulfonation to optimize the transport of cations, whilst the microporous structure inhibits the crossover of organic molecules via molecular sieving. Furthermore, the enhanced membrane selectivity mitigates the crossover-induced capacity decay whilst maintaining good ionic conductivity for aqueous electrolyte solution at pH 9, where the redox-active organic molecules show long-term stability. We also prove the boosting effect of the membranes on the energy efficiency and peak power density of the aqueous redox flow battery, which shows stable operation for about 120 h (i.e., 2100 charge-discharge cycles at 100 mA cm−2) in a laboratory-scale cell.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30943-y

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