Progress in the use of ionic liquids as electrolyte membranes in fuel cells

This work provides a critical review of the progress in the use of Room Temperature Ionic Liquids (RTILs) as Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolytes in Fuel Cells (FCs). It is well-known that for an efficient early commercialisation of this technology it is necessary to develop a proton exchange membrane with high proton conductivity without water dependency capable of working at temperatures above 100 °C. The use of ionic liquids as electrolytes in electrochemical devices is an emerging field due to their high conductivity, as well as their thermal, chemical and electrochemical stability under anhydrous conditions. This paper attempts to give a general overview of the state-of-the-art, identifies the key factors for future research and summarises the recent progress in the use of ionic liquids as an innovative type of PEMs.This research was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport under the Project CTQ2012-31639 (MINECO, SPAIN-FEDER2001–2013)

Synthetic polymer-based membrane for lithium Ion batteries

Efficient energy storage systems are increasingly needed due to advances in portable electronics and transport vehicles, lithium-ion batteries standing out among the most suitable energy storage systems for a large variety of applications. In lithium-ion batteries, the porous separator membrane plays a relevant role as it is placed between the electrodes and serves as a charge transfer medium and affects the cycle behavior. Typically, porous separators membranes are comprised of a synthetic polymeric matrix embedded in the electrolyte solution. The present chapter focus on recent advances in synthetic polymers for porous separation membranes, as well as on the techniques for membrane preparation and physicochemical characterization. The main challenges to improve synthetic polymer performance for battery separator membrane applications are also discussed.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2019, UID/QUI/50006/2019, UID/QUI/0686/2016 and UID/EMS/00151/2019. The authors thank FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Programme and National Funds through FCT under the project PTDC/FIS-MAC/28157/2017, Grants 38 SFRH/BPD/117838/2016 (JNP). and SFRH/BPD/112547/2015 (C.M.C). Financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the project MAT2016-76039-C4-3-R (AEI/FEDER, UE) (including the FEDER financial support) and from the Basque Government Industry and Education Departments under the ELKARTEK, HAZITEK and PIBA (PIBA-2018-06