Upscaled production of an ultramicroporous anion-exchange membrane enables long-term operation in electrochemical energy devices
Wanjie Song, Kang Peng, Wei Xu, Xiang Liu, Huaqing Zhang, Xian Liang, Bangjiao Ye, Hongjun Zhang, Zhengjin Yang, Liang Wu, Xiaolin Ge, Tongwen Xu
Abstract
Abstract The lack of high-performance and substantial supply of anion-exchange membranes is a major obstacle to future deployment of relevant electrochemical energy devices. Here, we select two isomers (m-terphenyl and p-terphenyl) and balance their ratio to prepare anion-exchange membranes with well-connected and uniformly-distributed ultramicropores based on robust chemical structures. The anion-exchange membranes display high ion-conducting, excellent barrier properties, and stability exceeding 8000 h at 80 °C in alkali. The assembled anion-exchange membranes present a desirable combination of performance and durability in several electrochemical energy storage devices: neutral aqueous organic redox flow batteries (energy efficiency of 77.2% at 100 mA cm −2 , with negligible permeation of redox-active molecules over 1100 h), water electrolysis (current density of 5.4 A cm −2 at 1.8 V, 90 °C, with durability over 3000 h), and fuel cells (power density of 1.61 W cm −2 under a catalyst loading of 0.2 mg cm −2 , with open-circuit voltage durability test over 1000 h). As a demonstration of upscaled production, the anion-exchange membranes achieve roll-to-roll manufacturing with a width greater than 1000 mm.