Structure–property relationships of anionic exchange membranes for Fe/Cr redox storage batteries

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Abstract
Membranes with lower area resistivity, higher selectivity, and reduced susceptibility toward fouling were required to improve the efficiency and lifetime of Fe/Cr redox storage batteries. The relationship of membrane structure to these electrochemical properties was not well understood. To gain a better understanding of structure–property relationships, a series of model membranes was synthesized in which the degree of crosslinking, ion exchange capacity, and porosity could be varied independently. This permitted the completion of several factorial studies in which the effect of each structural variable and interaction between variables could be defined and quantified. It was found that increasing the ion exchange capacity had a beneficial effect on all three electrochemical properties. Increasing the porosity reduced the resistivity and fouling but resulted in poorer selectivity. The degree of crosslinking had no effect on resistivity but improved selectivity and reduced fouling was observed when this parameter was increased. These relationships are consistent with theoretical models that have been proposed to account for the behavior of ion exchange membranes in general. From this data, empirical models were constructed which could be used to predict the area resistivity and water content of other anionic exchange membranes.

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