Highly conductive and low vanadium permeable crosslinked sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (cSPEEK) membranes were prepared by electrophilic aromatic substitution for a Vanadium/Air Redox Flow Battery (Vanadium/Air-RFB) application. Membranes were synthesized from ethanol solution and crosslinked under different temperatures with 1,4-benzenedimethanol and ZnCl2 via the Friedel-Crafts crosslin...

The degradation mechanism of hydrocarbon ion exchange membranes under vanadium flow battery (VFB) medium was investigated and clarified for the first time. This work will be highly beneficial for improving the chemical stability of hydrocarbon ion exchange membranes, which is one of the most challenging issues for VFB application.