Recently, iChEM researchers、the Energy Storage Division (DNL 17) at DICP headed by Prof. Huamin Zhang and Prof. Xianfeng Li made a new progress in the formation mechanism and the controllable morphology of non-fluorinated porous ions conducting membranes for flow battery. Dramatically increased ion selectivity and proton conductivity of non-fluorinated porous ions conducting membranes were obtained, finally improving the flow battery performance. This work had been published online by Energy & Environmental Science, 2016 DOI: 10.1039/C6EE01371F.

This research group has achieved a series of scientific and technological developments and published many high-level research papers since they originally proposed the concept of ions sieve-conducting mechanism (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 55, 2016, 3058-3062, Energy & Environmental Science, 2016, 9, 441-447, Adv. Funct. Mater. 2016，26，210-218; Adv. Funct. Mater., 2015, 25, 2583; Energy & Environmental Science 2013, 6, 776; Energy & Environmental Science 2012,5, 6299; Energy & Environmental Science 2011,4, 1147;). However, it is always quite challenging to investigate the formation mechanism and the control of microstructure, such as the pore size, pore size distribution as well as porosity, of porous ions conducting membranes. This work deeply and systematically investigated the role and the formation mechanism of how solvent treatment exerted effect on the pore size, pore size distribution and pore interconnectivity of porous ions conducting membranes. And an innovative and effective method was developed to tune the pore size, pore size distribution and pore interconnectivity of porous ions conducting membranes. Finally, this research group succeeded in preparing porous ions conducting membranes with high porosity, uniform pore size distribution and great interconnectivity, the selectivity and conductivity of non-fluorinated porous ions conducting membranes were thus further improved. The single cell assembled with as-prepared membranes obtained an energy efficiency of over 90% at a current density of 80 mA/cm².This research work can effectively instruct the structure design and preparation of high-performance porous ions conducting membranes.

This work is financially supported by National Youth Top-notch Talent Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Outstanding Young Scientist Foundation CAS and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials.（Text by LI Xianfeng /Photo by LU Wenjing).

Paper link：http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2016/ee/c6ee01371f#!divAbstract