Porimion® High-Current-Density Flow Battery Membrane
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Developed from an innovative non-fluorinated polybenzimidazole (PBI) resin system, this ion-exchange membrane is specifically engineered for high-current-density flow battery stacks. It offers enhanced mechanical strength and puncture resistance, delivering energy efficiency surpassing that of perfluorinated proton exchange membranes. The membrane is well suited for vanadium, titanium–bromine and acidic flow battery chemistries. Its excellent vanadium-ion blocking capability significantly reduces self-discharge and improves coulombic efficiency during vanadium battery operation, effectively addressing the high self-discharge issue in fast-response frequency-regulation applications. This advancement is expected to accelerate the deployment of vanadium flow batteries in regulation services.
PRODUCT FEATURES
High Strength & Ultra-Thin:Tensile and puncture strength are increased by over 100% compared with perfluorosulfonic membranes, withstanding carbon-fiber penetration. The uniform membrane thickness is reduced to 25 µm for stack use, enabling significantly higher current densities.
High Selectivity:Proton conductivity matches that of perfluorosulfonic membranes, while vanadium-ion permeability is reduced by an order of magnitude, greatly improving coulombic and energy efficiency.
Low Self-Discharge:Extremely low vanadium crossover raises coulombic efficiency to above 99%, substantially reducing self-discharge—ideal for long-duration, uninterrupted frequency-regulation operation.
High Reliability:Validated through 5,000-cycle accelerated aging tests with no performance degradation.
Environmentally Friendly:Eliminates the environmental impact of fluorinated permanent plastics; fully degradable and compliant with EU and North American defluorination requirements.
SPECIFICATION
| Specifications | ||
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Technical Indicator | Test Method |
| Thickness (μm)a | 25 | NB/T 42080-2023 |
| Ionic Conductivity (mS/cm) | ≥40 | NB/T 42080-2023 |
| Vanadium Ion Diffusion Coefficient (cm2/min) | ≤9.0×10⁻⁸ | NB/T 42080-2023 |
| Tensile Strength (MPa) | ≥40 | NB/T 42080-2023 |
| Elongation at Break (%) | ≥80 | GB/T 1040.1-2018 |
| Puncture Strength (N) | 7 | GB/T 37841-2019 |
| Coulombic Efficiency of Vanadium Batteryᵇ | ≥99% | NB/T 42081-2016 |
| Energy Efficiency of Vanadium Batteryᶜ | ≥83.5% | NB/T 42081-2016 |
aProducts with a thickness of 15-50μm are available;
b、cTested with energy storage batteries, test power density is 180mW/cm2.
TEST PERFORMANCE
Performance comparison between the Porimion® flow battery membrane and PFSA membranes in a 1 kW vanadium flow battery stack.
| POWER DENSITY(mW/cm2) | PBI flow battery membrane | Commercialized PFSA membrane1 | Commercialized PFSA membrane2 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CE（%） | VE（%） | EE（%） | CE（%） | VE（%） | EE（%） | CE（%） | VE（%） | EE（%） | |
| 120 | 99.6 | 88.9 | 88.5 | 96.2 | 87.8 | 84.4 | 95.6 | 88.4 | 84.6 |
| 150 | 99.7 | 86.6 | 86.1 | 96.0 | 85.1 | 81.7 | 95.8 | 85.6 | 82.0 |
| 180 | 99.6 | 83.9 | 83.5 | 96.2 | 82.4 | 79.2 | 96.0 | 82.8 | 79.5 |
| 210 | 99.6 | 82.3 | 82.0 | 96.2 | 80.7 | 77.6 | 96.0 | 82.7 | 77.5 |
| 240 | 99.6 | 81.3 | 81.0 | 96.2 | 79.0 | 76.0 | 96.1 | 78.7 | 75.7 |
Porimion® membrane 5,000-cycle long-term test in a 1 kW vanadium stack:Operated at a constant power density of 240 mW/cm². Performance loss caused by vanadium-ion crossover can be fully restored to the initial level through electrolyte remixing.
SPEEK Flow Battery Membrane
Sulfonated polyetheretherketone (SPEEK) membrane is a high-performance fluorine-free ion exchange membrane prepared by sulfonation modification of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) backbone, specifically designed for flow batteries. Featuring a unique molecular structure, the arrangement of ether bonds, ketone bonds, and benzene rings in SPEEK endows it with exceptional adaptability in flow battery environments. Its swelling resistance outperforms other fluorine-free ion exchange membranes, effectively mitigating performance degradation caused by swelling. The product is suitable for zinc-manganese, zinc-bromine, zinc-iron, all-iron, and other flow battery technology routes, as well as electrodialysis separation.
- Low swelling rate, high mechanical strength, and excellent chemical stability; ion selectivity can be regulated by the degree of sulfonation.
- The degree of sulfonation, thickness (15-100μm), and membrane area can be customized according to customer requirements to match the design of flow battery systems for different applications.
| Item | Technical Indicator | Test Method |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Colorless and Transparent | - |
| Thickness (μm) | 25, 50, 75 | NB/T 42080-2016 |
| Degree of Sulfonation (%) | 60 | - |
| Ionic Conductivity (mS/cm) | 15-20 | NB/T 42080-2016 |
| Tensile Strength (MPa) | 24-28 | GB/T 1040.3-06 |
| Elongation at Break (%) | 28-32 | GB/T 1040.3-06 |
SPPSU Flow Battery Membrane
Sulfonated polyphenylsulfone (SPPSU) flow battery membrane is a high-performance fluorine-free ion exchange membrane prepared by sulfonation modification of the polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) backbone, specifically designed for flow batteries and suitable for large-scale energy storage systems. This membrane endows polyphenylsulfone materials with excellent ion selectivity and conductivity through sulfonation modification technology, which can efficiently isolate the positive and negative electrolytes and realize the directional transport of protons/ions, ensuring the battery's energy conversion efficiency and cycle stability. Its unique chemical structure enables it to exhibit excellent durability under harsh conditions such as strong acid, strong oxidation, and high potential difference, making it one of the core components for the new generation of flow batteries to achieve long-life and low-cost energy storage.
- Low cost, high mechanical strength, high chemical stability; ion selectivity and swelling property can be regulated by the degree of sulfonation;
- The degree of sulfonation, thickness (15-100μm), and membrane area can be adjusted according to customer requirements to match the design of flow battery systems for different systems.
| Item | Technical Indicator | Test Method |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Colorless and Transparent | - |
| Thickness (μm) | 25、50 | NB/T 42080-2016 |
| Degree of Sulfonation (%) | 30 | - |
| Ionic Conductivity (mS/cm) | 8-10 | NB/T 42080-2016 |
| Tensile Strength (MPa) | 40-45 | GB/T 1040.3-06 |
| Elongation at Break (%) | 4-8 | GB/T 1040.3-06 |