The development of non-fluorinated ion exchange membranes for ZH Energy was not achieved overnight, but stemmed from over a decade of technological advancement. Dr. Xie Wei, the founder, has dedicated himself to non-fluorinated membrane systems throughout his academic, research, and industrialization phases in the US: he established the theoretical framework for non-fluorinated membranes as part of his doctoral research at the University of Texas, validated their engineering feasibility through collaborations with industry giants like DuPont and 3M, and further advanced their performance in partnership with Harvard University and the University of South Carolina.

In 2021, Dr. Xie returned to China to found ZH Energy and jointly developed non-fluorinated ion exchange membranes with Central South University, continuously tackling challenges in material structure, preparation processes, and application adaptation. After years of R&D and repeated validation, non-fluorinated ion exchange membranes such as PBI and SPEEK have passed pilot-scale production verification and now possess commercial mass-production capabilities.

Materials stand on practical application and user feedback, not publicity. Over the past two years, domestic and international users—primarily from university labs and flow battery enterprises—have successively purchased and tested our PBI and SPEEK flow battery membranes. We tracked practical test feedback from over 150 users, forming the Phase I user consensus on PBI and SPEEK flow battery membranes:

• PBI flow battery membranes: Verified by customers for use in vanadium redox, titanium-bromine, and other flow battery systems;

• SPEEK flow battery membranes: Validated by customers for zinc-manganese, zinc-bromine, zinc-iron, all-iron flow battery systems, as well as electrodialysis separation.

A growing number of customers choose non-fluorinated ion exchange membranes—even repurchasing multiple times and testing products from different batches—not merely because they are "cheaper", but because real-world testing has demonstrated their core value. We invite you to trial non-fluorinated membranes in broader technical systems to maximize these advantages:

✅ Lower cost: Over 30% more affordable than mainstream perfluorinated membranes, significantly reducing system costs;

✅ Superior performance: Key metrics (EE/CE) outperform perfluorinated membranes across the board, boosting energy efficiency and returns;

✅ Environmentally friendly: Eliminates perfluorinated compound (PFCs) pollution at the source, and is green and degradable;

✅ Leading technology: Pioneered the commercial application and engineering validation of non-fluorinated ion exchange membranes.

Performance Comparison between PBI Flow Battery Membrane and Commercial Perfluorinated Sulfonic Acid Membrane Battery.

Long-cycle Test of 5000 Cycles for PBI Flow Battery Membrane: A 1kW stack operated at a constant current density of 240mA/cm², where the performance degradation caused by vanadium ion crossover can be restored to the initial state through electrolyte mixing.

Non-fluorinated ion exchange membranes are not just a trend, but a proven solution. With over a decade of technological accumulation, industrial breakthroughs, and validated data from 150+ users, their engineering and commercialization are accelerating.

As flow battery systems evolve rapidly, the industry continues to explore their untapped potential. We welcome more teams to join application testing and expand the boundaries of non-fluorinated ion exchange membranes together—every operating condition and dataset could unlock new application scenarios for the product.

Scan to Connect – ZH Energy · Non-Fluorinated Ion Exchange Membrane Team | WhatsApp