Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7744359 | Solid State Ionics | 2018 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Nafionâtungsten oxide hybrid membranes, [Nafion/(WO3)x], with varying loading levels of WO3 nanofiller (xâ¯=â¯0, 0.024, 0.329) are prepared and investigated as candidates for application as solid electrolytes in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). The thermal properties of [Nafion/(WO3)x] hybrid membranes are probed both by high-resolution thermogravimetric analysis (HR-TGA) and by modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC). Vibrational spectroscopy studies are carried out by: (i) Attenuated Total Reflectance - Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR); and (ii) Raman spectroscopy, to elucidate the secondary structure of [Nafion/(WO3)x] and study the interactions taking place between the nanofiller and the Nafion matrix. The electrical response of [Nafion/(WO3)x] is determined by Broadband Electrical Spectroscopy (BES) and the permeability towards VO2+ is measured by UV-VIS spectrometry. It is demonstrated that the [Nafion/(WO3)x] hybrid membranes exhibit a high ion selectivity (up to 10.6â103â¯Sâminâcmâ3 for [Nafion/(WO3)0.329]) that is much improved in comparison with that characterizing recast Nafion (6.5â103â¯Sâminâcmâ3). A structural model and a conductivity mechanism for the [Nafion/(WO3)x] hybrid membranes are proposed, in order to rationalize the experimental results and correlate the electrical response with the transport properties.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Authors
Chuanyu Sun, Agnieszka Zlotorowicz, Graeme Nawn, Enrico Negro, Federico Bertasi, Gioele Pagot, Keti Vezzù, Giuseppe Pace, Massimo Guarnieri, Vito Di Noto,