Projects

In the NextRedox project, the membrane, one of the central components in the vanadium redox flow cell, is being optimized: The ionomer membrane separates the anode and cathode sides. In contrast to the state of the art (ion-conducting membranes with a thickness of about 50 μm based on perfluorinated sulfonic acid ionomers (PFSA)), a significantly thinner (target size: < 20 μm), fluorine-free composite membrane is being developed in the project. The required chemical and mechanical resistance is ensured by an inert, porous polymer support. Ion selectivity is ensured by a thin (1-2 μm), anion-conducting ionomer layer that blocks large cations such as multivalent vanadium ions. Thus, established and scalable fabrication techniques such as spray coating can produce a new composite membrane that can significantly reduce material costs compared to the expensive, thick PFSA ionomer. Membrane development will be designed to transfer innovations from small single cells to a 600 cm² demonstrator cell within the 3-year project to ensure scalability.