Computational Design of Polymer Membranes for Energy Conversion and Storage

Flow batteries offer several advantages for stationary energy storage: the ability to decouple power and energy, to run for many charge/discharge cycles, and intrinsic levels of safety. However commercially available vanadium flow battery systems are expensive, due to the high cost of vanadium. The project will develop low-cost hydrogen-metal redox flow batteries, involving the development of catalysts, membranes and low-cost redox-active electrolytes such as manganese and iron-containing redox species. This project will focus on computational modelling and testing of proton-conducting membrane separators for hydrogen-metal redox flow batteries. The key objectives of the project will be the development of high proton conductivity (up to 100 mS/cm at room temperature) and reduce the area specific resistance (ASR) of membranes to below 0.5 cm2 while retaining the selectivity towards redox active species.