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A Dication Cross‐Linked Composite Anion‐Exchange Membrane for All‐Vanadium Flow Battery Applications
Author(s) -
Zhang Fengxiang,
Zhang Huamin,
Qu Chao
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201300560
Subject(s) - flow battery , vanadium , trimethylamine , faraday efficiency , dication , fabrication , battery (electricity) , materials science , composite number , ion exchange , chemical engineering , robustness (evolution) , membrane , ion , chemistry , inorganic chemistry , electrode , composite material , electrochemistry , organic chemistry , alternative medicine , electrolyte , pathology , engineering , power (physics) , biochemistry , quantum mechanics , medicine , physics , gene
We report the fabrication and properties of a high‐performance, inexpensive, composite, anion‐exchange membrane (AEM) for an all‐vanadium flow battery (VFB) application. The AEM was fabricated by dication cross‐linking without the involvement of trimethylamine, and shows well‐balanced anion conductivity and robustness due to imidazolium and imidazolium–ammonium functionalities, as well as a concomitantly achieved semi‐interpenetrating network structure. The VFB single cell yielded a Coulombic efficiency of 99 % and an energy efficiency of 84 % at 80 mA cm −2 , and operated for over 900 charge/discharge cycles. This work demonstrates the combined use of several favorable AEM design rationales, such as incorporating abundant and efficient anion‐exchange groups, constructing a swelling‐ and oxidation‐resistant structure, and facile fabrication; it provides an effective way of developing high‐performance, low‐cost AEMs for VFB applications.