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Preparation of Graphene Liquid Cells for the Observation of Lithium-ion Battery Material
Published on: February 5, 2019
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PVDF/Graphene Composite Nanoporous Membranes for Vanadium Flow Batteries
Yiming Lai1, Lei Wan1, Baoguo Wang2
1The state key laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
Membranes
|July 24, 2019
Summary
Graphene-enhanced poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes improve vanadium flow battery (VFB) performance by reducing vanadium ion crossover and enhancing proton transport. These composite membranes offer higher energy efficiency and stability for VFB applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Chemically stable and conductive membranes are crucial for advancing vanadium flow battery (VFB) performance.
- Current membranes face challenges with ion crossover and proton conductivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/graphene composite nanoporous membranes for VFB applications.
- To enhance membrane selectivity and conductivity using graphene.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of PVDF/graphene composite membranes via controlled crystallization processes.
- Characterization of membrane properties, including ion selectivity, proton conductivity, and stability.
- Testing of single VFB cells utilizing the developed composite membranes.
Main Results:
- Graphene nanosheets in PVDF/graphene membranes reduced vanadium ion crossover via size exclusion.
- Oxygen groups on graphene enhanced hydrophilicity and facilitated proton transport.
- Composite membranes (0.15 wt% graphene) achieved selectivity of 38.2 and conductivity of 37.1 mS/cm.
- VFBs with composite membranes showed 13% higher energy efficiency (83.8%) and improved stability over 100 cycles.
Conclusions:
- PVDF/graphene composite membranes demonstrate superior performance compared to pristine PVDF membranes.
- The developed membranes show significant potential for improving VFB energy efficiency and longevity.
- This work highlights the efficacy of incorporating graphene into PVDF for advanced energy storage solutions.
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