‘This research provides us with a … blueprint’

New research has changed the understanding of how water transports charged ions across a key component used in clean energy tech, which could lead to more efficient and resilient devices.

Scientists had thought that the anion exchange membrane — which plays a crucial role in green tech such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, and more — required high levels of free-flowing water, as a report from the University of Chicago detailed. 

The water helps drive the flow of ions through AEMs, but high levels can limit their use in low-humidity environments and weaken them over time through swelling and stretching.

Now, with the help of cutting-edge two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy paired with computer simulations, UChicago and New York University researchers have a better understanding of fast water dynamics.

“Our study challenges the long-held idea that fast ion transport in energy membranes requires excess free water — in reality, it’s the structure of the water network that matters, not just the amount,” said professor Paul Nealey, a senior author of the paper.

The report explained that water molecules absorbed into an AEM form a network of hydrogen bonds. With just simple shells of water surrounding these ions, rather than an overabundance of free water, they’re able to move more efficiently.

“We observed that even without high levels of water, we see a boost to ionic conductivity and ion transport across the membrane. This happens because the water network is well-formed, and water molecules in the second layer can quickly adjust their orientation,” added Ge Sun, a UChicago graduate student and co-first author of the study.

AEMs are embedded with positively charged particles, which help guide negatively charged ones through the membrane and repel others with positive charges. 

These charge differences can be used to power a variety of reactions, such as potentially the creation of clean hydrogen from water or in converting chemical energy into electricity in fuel cells. 

Grid-scale battery storage systems that utilize flow batteries also depend on ion transfer to function. Increased efficiency could improve battery performance, helping to bolster our sustainable infrastructure while reducing reliance on dirty fuels for energy.

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Desalination and wastewater plants, which help provide clean water for drinking, cooking, and washing, could also benefit through the optimization of ion flow.

“This research provides us with a molecular-level blueprint for optimizing energy membranes, bringing us one step closer to more efficient fuel cells, better batteries, and more sustainable energy storage solutions,” senior author and former UChicago professor Juan de Pablo, now at NYU, explained.

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