Fabrication and Characterization of Polyethylene-Reinforced Porous Ion Exchange Membranes for Vanadium Flow Batteries

doi:10.12422/j.issn.1006-396X.2026.03.003

Abstract

Abstract:

The industrialization of all-vanadium flow batteries（VFB） is currently hindered by the inherent trade-off between proton conductivity and vanadium ion rejection in ion exchange membrane materials.To address this challenge,a novel membrane architecture was innovatively proposed by constructing a composite membrane loaded with S-SN nanosheets.The performance of the composite membrane was systematically evaluated through micro-morphology characterization,physicochemical analyses including proton conduction and mechanical strength,as well as battery polarization behavior and constant-current discharge stability tests.The results demonstrate that the prepared composite membrane achieves a coulombic efficiency of 96.4% and an energy efficiency of 76.81% at a high current density of 200 mA/cm².After 500 cycles,the membrane exhibits excellent cycling stability with a capacity retention of 74.91%.By precisely regulating the membrane structure, this innovative design successfully resolves the balance dilemma of ion-selective transport,providing a new strategy for developing cost-effective and stable energy storage membranes.

Key words: Polyethylene, Ion exchange membrane, Ion selectivity, Conductivity, Vanadium flow battery

摘要：

全钒液流电池（VFB）的产业化面临离子交换膜材料中质子电导率与钒离子阻隔性能之间的固有矛盾。为解决这一问题，创新性地提出一种新型膜结构设计，构建了负载二氧化硅纳米片（S-SN）的复合膜；通过微观形貌表征及质子传导、机械强度等理化分析，并结合电池极化行为与恒流放电稳定性测试，对该复合膜的性能进行了系统评估。结果表明，所制备的复合膜在200 mA/cm²的高电流密度下，库仑效率达到96.4%，能量效率为76.81%；经过 500 次循环测试后，膜的容量保持率达到74.91%，显示出优异的循环稳定性。这一创新设计通过精准调控膜结构，成功破解了离子选择性传输的平衡难题，为开发具有高性价比与稳定性的储能膜提供了新策略。

关键词: 聚乙烯, 离子交换膜, 离子选择性, 电导率, 钒液流电池

CLC Number:

TQ325

Hui ZHANG, Jingkai XU, Liujie ZHANG, Denghua ZHANG, Wei XIAO. Fabrication and Characterization of Polyethylene-Reinforced Porous Ion Exchange Membranes for Vanadium Flow Batteries[J]. Journal of Petrochemical Universities, 2026, 39(3): 23-31.

张辉, 徐靖凯, 张柳杰, 张登华, 肖伟. 多孔聚乙烯增强型离子交换膜的制备及全钒液流电池性能研究[J]. 石油化工高等学校学报, 2026, 39(3): 23-31.

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URL: https://journal.lnpu.edu.cn/syhg/EN/10.12422/j.issn.1006-396X.2026.03.003

https://journal.lnpu.edu.cn/syhg/EN/Y2026/V39/I3/23

Figures/Tables 10

Fig.1 SEM images of different membrane samples and surface EDS distribution map of PE/S-SN/PFSA composite membrane

Fig.2 FT-IR spectra of different membrane samples

Fig.3 Water uptake and swelling ratio of different membrane samples

Table 1 Mechanical properties of different membrane samples

膜样品	厚度/μm	拉伸强度/MPa	断裂伸长率/%	弹性模量/MPa
PFSA	20±1	16.506±0.526	127.492±0.473	200.745±0.708
PE/PFSA	20±1	20.983±0.687	89.267±0.671	270.319±0.759
PE/S-SN/PFSA	20±1	27.571±0.267	84.280±0.361	327.535±0.385
N212	50	20.366±0.510	71.295±0.467	366.508±0.660

Fig.4 Chemical stability of different membrane samples

Fig.5 Nyquist plot of conductivity cells,area resistance and conductivity of different membrane samples

Fig.6 VO2+ concentration change,VO2+ permeability and ion selectivity of different membrane samples

Fig.7 Coulombic efficiency, voltage efficiency, energy efficiency, and polarization curves of batteries assembled with different membranes

Fig.8 Cycle efficiency and capacity retention of batteries assembled with different membranes

Fig.9 Comparison of performance between PE/S-SN/PFSA composite membrane and reported composite membranes[22-28]

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