A Highly Ion‐Selective Zeolite Flake Layer on Porous Membranes for Flow Battery Applications. Issue 9 (28th January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yuan, Zhizhang; Zhu, Xiangxue; Li, Mingrun; Lu, Wenjing; Li, Xianfeng; Zhang, Huamin
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie international edition. Volume 55:Issue 9(2016)
• Page Start: 3058
• Page End: 3062
• Publication Date: 2016-01-28
• Subjects: energy storage -- flow batteries -- pore size exclusion -- porous membranes -- ZSM-35 zeolite; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201510849
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1433-7851

Abstract

Abstract: Zeolites are crystalline microporous aluminosilicates with periodic arrangements of cages and well‐defined channels, which make them very suitable for separating ions of different sizes, and thus also for use in battery applications. Herein, an ultra‐thin ZSM‐35 zeolite flake was introduced onto a poly(ether sulfone) based porous membrane. The pore size of the zeolite (ca. 0.5 nm) is intermediary between that of hydrated vanadium ions (>0.6 nm) and protons (<0.24 nm). The resultant membrane can thus be used to perfectly separate vanadium ions and protons, making this technology useful in vanadium flow batteries (VFB). A VFB with a zeolite‐coated membrane exhibits a columbic efficiency of >99 % and an energy efficiency of >81 % at 200 mA cm −2, which is by far the highest value ever reported. These convincing results indicate that zeolite‐coated membranes are promising in battery applications. Abstract : Go with the flow : For the first time, a zeolite‐coated membrane that can perfectly separate ions of different sizes was fabricated for use in flow battery applications. See picture; large and small spheres are redox‐active and non‐reaction ions, respectively.