Ion exchange membranes for vanadium redox flow batteries

In recent years, much attention has been paid to vanadium redox flow batteries (VRBs) because of their excellent performance as a new and efficient energy storage system, especially for large-scale energy storage. As one core component of a VRB, ion exchange membrane prevents cross-over of positive and negative electrolytes, while it enables the transportation of charge-balancing ions such as H+, SO42-, and HSO(4)(-)to complete the current circuit. To a large extent, its structure and property affect the performance of VRBs. This review focuses on the latest work on the ion exchange membranes for VRBs such as perfluorinated, partially fluorinated, and nonfluorinated membranes. The prospective for future development on membranes for VRBs is also proposed.