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Membrane Engineering for Battery Systems: Bridging Design Principles and Frontier Applications

Xiaoqun Zhou Orcid Logo, Justice Akoto, Rui Tan Orcid Logo, Jun Ma

Energy & Environmental Materials, Start page: e70192

Swansea University Authors: Justice Akoto, Rui Tan Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1002/eem2.70192

Abstract

Electrochemical energy storage systems (EESSs) stand as linchpins in the global transition toward carbon neutrality, yet their performance and safety remain fundamentally constrained by the underappreciated component: membrane separators. This review delivers a paradigm-shifting synthesis of separat...

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Published in: Energy & Environmental Materials
ISSN: 2575-0356
Published: Wiley 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70635
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last_indexed 2026-01-15T05:27:58Z
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spelling 2026-01-14T16:22:18.2750032 v2 70635 2025-10-10 Membrane Engineering for Battery Systems: Bridging Design Principles and Frontier Applications 34674f4c0a15ff4a0c7797c5bfbb8448 Justice Akoto Justice Akoto true false 774c33a0a76a9152ca86a156b5ae26ff 0009-0001-9278-7327 Rui Tan Rui Tan true false 2025-10-10 Electrochemical energy storage systems (EESSs) stand as linchpins in the global transition toward carbon neutrality, yet their performance and safety remain fundamentally constrained by the underappreciated component: membrane separators. This review delivers a paradigm-shifting synthesis of separator science across redox flow batteries (RFBs), lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), and solid-state batteries (SSBs), unraveling the universal principles that govern ion selectivity, interfacial stability, and long-term cyclability. By critically analyzing the interplay among material architecture, ion transport mechanisms, and electrochemical degradation pathways, we establish a unified framework for designing next-generation separators that overcome the persistent trade-off between ionic conductivity and molecular-level discrimination. Recent advances in porous crystalline materials, polymer electrolytes, and hybrid composites are dissected through the lens of size-exclusion, Donnan-exclusion, and dynamic adaptive interactions, revealing how tailored pore geometries and functional group engineering enable the precise modulation of cation/anion flux. Emphasis is placed on the emerging role of computational modeling in decoding separator–electrolyte couplings, guiding the rational design of membranes with atomic-scale precision. The review further addresses critical challenges, including dendritic growth in alkali metal batteries, crossover losses in aqueous RFBs, and interfacial instability in solid-state systems. This integrative analysis establishes a cross-cutting roadmap for separator innovation, where the synergistic design of material architectures, ion transport physics, and computational-guided interfaces converge to unlock the full potential of electrochemical energy storage systems. Journal Article Energy & Environmental Materials 0 e70192 Wiley 2575-0356 lithium-ion batteries, membrane separators, modeling, redox flow batteries, solid-state batteries 2 1 2026 2026-01-02 10.1002/eem2.70192 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Swansea University 2026-01-14T16:22:18.2750032 2025-10-10T14:58:23.8554106 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Chemical Engineering Xiaoqun Zhou 0009-0001-5390-7162 1 Justice Akoto 2 Rui Tan 0009-0001-9278-7327 3 Jun Ma 4 70635__35995__1af929e16a084b0ba643d26395c19489.pdf 70635.VOR.pdf 2026-01-14T16:19:13.2468105 Output 8160211 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2026 The Author(s). Energy & Environmental Materials published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Zhengzhou University. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Membrane Engineering for Battery Systems: Bridging Design Principles and Frontier Applications
spellingShingle Membrane Engineering for Battery Systems: Bridging Design Principles and Frontier Applications
Justice Akoto
Rui Tan
title_short Membrane Engineering for Battery Systems: Bridging Design Principles and Frontier Applications
title_full Membrane Engineering for Battery Systems: Bridging Design Principles and Frontier Applications
title_fullStr Membrane Engineering for Battery Systems: Bridging Design Principles and Frontier Applications
title_full_unstemmed Membrane Engineering for Battery Systems: Bridging Design Principles and Frontier Applications
title_sort Membrane Engineering for Battery Systems: Bridging Design Principles and Frontier Applications
author_id_str_mv 34674f4c0a15ff4a0c7797c5bfbb8448
774c33a0a76a9152ca86a156b5ae26ff
author_id_fullname_str_mv 34674f4c0a15ff4a0c7797c5bfbb8448_***_Justice Akoto
774c33a0a76a9152ca86a156b5ae26ff_***_Rui Tan
author Justice Akoto
Rui Tan
author2 Xiaoqun Zhou
Justice Akoto
Rui Tan
Jun Ma
format Journal article
container_title Energy & Environmental Materials
container_volume 0
container_start_page e70192
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 2575-0356
doi_str_mv 10.1002/eem2.70192
publisher Wiley
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Chemical Engineering{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Chemical Engineering
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description Electrochemical energy storage systems (EESSs) stand as linchpins in the global transition toward carbon neutrality, yet their performance and safety remain fundamentally constrained by the underappreciated component: membrane separators. This review delivers a paradigm-shifting synthesis of separator science across redox flow batteries (RFBs), lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), and solid-state batteries (SSBs), unraveling the universal principles that govern ion selectivity, interfacial stability, and long-term cyclability. By critically analyzing the interplay among material architecture, ion transport mechanisms, and electrochemical degradation pathways, we establish a unified framework for designing next-generation separators that overcome the persistent trade-off between ionic conductivity and molecular-level discrimination. Recent advances in porous crystalline materials, polymer electrolytes, and hybrid composites are dissected through the lens of size-exclusion, Donnan-exclusion, and dynamic adaptive interactions, revealing how tailored pore geometries and functional group engineering enable the precise modulation of cation/anion flux. Emphasis is placed on the emerging role of computational modeling in decoding separator–electrolyte couplings, guiding the rational design of membranes with atomic-scale precision. The review further addresses critical challenges, including dendritic growth in alkali metal batteries, crossover losses in aqueous RFBs, and interfacial instability in solid-state systems. This integrative analysis establishes a cross-cutting roadmap for separator innovation, where the synergistic design of material architectures, ion transport physics, and computational-guided interfaces converge to unlock the full potential of electrochemical energy storage systems.
published_date 2026-01-02T05:31:57Z
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