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    Polytetrafluoroethylene Modified Nafion Membranes by Magnetron Sputtering for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

    Year: 2022

    Journal: Coatings, Volume 12, MAR

    Authors: Su, Jun; Ye, Jiaye; Qin, Zhenyu; Sun, Lidong

    Organizations: National Natural Science Foundation of China [51871037]; Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing, China [cstc2021jcyj-jqX0020]; Chongqing Talents: Exceptional Young Talents Project [cstc2021ycjh-bgzxm0063, CQYC201905023]; National Key Research and Development Program of China [2020YFF0421893]

    Keywords: ion exchange membrane; PTFE; Nafion; magnetron sputtering; vanadium redox flow battery

    Commercial Nafion membranes have been widely used for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB) but with relatively low ion selectivity. A chemical method is commonly employed to modify the organic membranes, whereas physical approaches are rarely reported in view of less compatibility with the organic species. In this study, an ultrathin polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film of less than 30 nm is deposited onto the Nafion substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering to form PTFE@Nafion composite membranes. The PTFE layer of hydrophobic and inert feature enhances the dimensional stability and the ion selectivity of the Nafion membranes. The VRFB single cell with an optimized composite membrane exhibits a better self-discharge property than that of the Nafion 212 (i.e., 201.2 vs. 18.6 h), due to a higher ion selectivity (i.e., 21.191 x 10(4) vs. 11.054 x 10(4) S min cm(-3)). The composite membranes also show better discharge capacity retention than the Nafion 212 over the entire 100 cycles. The results indicate that the magnetron sputtering is an alternative and feasible route to tailor the organic membranes via surface modification and functionalization.
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