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Composite Membranes of PVDF/PES/SPEES for Flow Battery Applications

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Abstract

This work reports the preparation and characterization of composite membranes with potential applications in flow battery devices. A polymer solution of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), sulfonated polyether ether sulfone (SPEES), and polyether sulfone (PES) was used to prepare proton exchange membranes with low permeation of cationic species, which is a desirable feature in energy conversion devices, such as vanadium flow batteries (VRFB). Vanadyl ion (VO2+) acidic solution was selected as a model to reveal the permeation capacity through the membranes as an affordable alternative to the Nafion® 117 commercial membrane. The effects of the chemical composition and the thickness of the membranes on the morphology and proton exchange properties were evaluated. Characterization of the membranes was performed using physicochemical techniques including water uptake, swelling ratio, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, surface charge density, atomic force microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for proton conductivity, proton exchange rate, and the permeability of VO2+ ions. With VO2+ ion permeability of the order of 0.62 mM and H+ exchange rates of up to 498.5 × 1018 H+ cm−2*µm−1*min−1, the PVDF/PES/SPEES composite membranes emerge as an option with potential application for VRFB compared to the Nafion® 117 membrane, which presented a VO2+ ion permeation value of 2.72 mM and H+ exchange rates of 445.2 × 1018 H+ cm−2*µm−1*min−1.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Tecnológico Nacional de México/ Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana (grant no. 18326.23-P) for providing materials and equipment for this work. B.Y. Garcia-Limón and L.J. Salazar-Gastélum thank the Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencia y Tecnología (CONAHCyT, Mexico) for providing the scholar fellowship for their Ph.D. studies. The authors also thank Victor A. Reyes-Villegas, M.Sc., for his comments to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tecnológico Nacional de México/IT de Tijuana/Posgrado en Ciencias de la Ingeniería, 22510, Tijuana, BC, Mexico

    Brenda Y. García-Limón & Moisés I. Salazar-Gastélum

  2. Tecnológico Nacional de México/IT de Tijuana/Centro de Graduados e Investigación en Química, 22510, Tijuana, BC, Mexico

    Luis J. Salazar-Gastélum, Moisés I. Salazar-Gastélum, Shui Wai Lin, Mara Beltrán-Gastelum, Arturo Zizumbo-López & Sergio Pérez-Sicairos

  3. Facultad de Ingeniería, División de Investigación y Posgrado, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, 76010, Querétaro, C. P., Mexico

    Luis J. Salazar-Gastélum

  4. CONACyT, Tecnológico Nacional de México/IT de Tijuana/Centro de Graduados e Investigación en Química, 22510, Tijuana, BC, Mexico

    Julio C. Calva-Yañez

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  1. Brenda Y. García-Limón
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García-Limón, B.Y., Salazar-Gastélum, L.J., Salazar-Gastélum, M.I. et al. Composite Membranes of PVDF/PES/SPEES for Flow Battery Applications. J. Electron. Mater. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-024-11011-1

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