Preparation and surface modification of PVDF-carbon felt composite bipolar plates for vanadium flow battery

• 来源期刊: 能源化学
• 年，卷（期）: 2018,（5）
• 页码范围: 1369-1375
• 页数: 7页
• 语种: 英文

摘要

The performance of vanadium flow batteries (VFBs) is closely related to the materials used in the bipolar plates.Carbon-based composite bipolar plates are particularly suitable for VFB applications.However,most original preparation methods cannot simultaneously achieve good electrical conductivity and mechanical performance.In this paper,we propose a novel approach to fabricating bipolar plates with carbon plastic materials,including four steps,namely coating a poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) solution onto carbon felt,solvent evaporation,hot-pressing,and surface modification.The resulting bipolar plates showed high conductivity,good mechanical strength,and corrosion resistance.Surface modification by coating with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) removed the PVDF-rich layer from the surface of the carbon fibers.The high surface area of the CNT withdrew PVDF resin from the carbon fiber surface,and promoted the formation of a conductive network.The flexibility and battery charge-discharge cycle measurements showed that the composite bipolar plates can meet requirements for VFB applications.