Publications Details

Membrane and durability studies for the zinc/bromine battery

Arnold Jr., C.; Assink, R.A.; Butler, P.C.

Zinc/bromine flow batteries are being developed for vehicular and utility load leveling applications by Johnson Controls Co. and Energy Research Corp. under DOE sponsorship. Problems that have been encountered with the zinc/bromine battery are loss of coulombic efficiency brought about by permeation of bromine through the separator and limited life caused by attack of the bromine-containing electrolyte on plastic parts, particularly the flow frame. In this paper, we show that large decreases in the bromine transport rates through microporous separators can be achieved with only a minimal loss of conductivity and identify a chemically stable replacement for PVC, a flowframe material. 4 figs., 1 tab.