{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T16:03:49Z","timestamp":1790006629393,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"53","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785369600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785369600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Small"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    Alkaline zinc\u2011iron flow batteries (AZIFBs) are attractive for large\u2011scale energy storage due to their inherent safety and low cost, where the ion\u2011exchange membrane (IEM) plays a decisive role in energy efficiency and cycle life. Although commercially available IEMs with microphase\u2011separated structures are well\u2011developed, they suffer from an intrinsic trade\u2011off between conductivity and selectivity. Microporous polymer membranes offer a promising alternative, yet their practical adoption is hampered by complicated synthesis and harsh processing. Herein, we report a molecularly engineered membrane by incorporating cyclohexyl units into poly(ether\u2011ether\u2011ketone) with precisely tuned sulfonation degree, which creates a tailored free\u2011volume structure and uniform ionic channels. The membrane operates via a size\u2010selective dual\u2010ion conduction mechanism, enabling fast shuttling of charge\u2011balancing ions while efficiently suppressing crossover of bulky Fe(CN)\n                    <jats:sub>6<\/jats:sub>\n                    <jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup>\n                    <jats:bold>\n                      <jats:sup>\u2212<\/jats:sup>\n                    <\/jats:bold>\n                    . Molecular dynamics simulations confirm that uniformly distributed sulfonate groups and a fully percolated water network promote efficient ion transport, while enhanced polymer chain packing ensures high selectivity. As a result, the AZIFB with m\u2011SPEEK\u2011HMBC exhibits outstanding overall performance: energy efficiency &gt;76.7% across 40\u2013400\u00a0mA\u00a0cm\n                    <jats:sup>\u2212<\/jats:sup>\n                    <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                    , a peak power density of \u223c600\u00a0mW\u00a0cm\n                    <jats:sup>\u2212<\/jats:sup>\n                    <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                    , and stable capacity retention for &gt;1000\u00a0cycles at 200\u00a0mA\u00a0cm\n                    <jats:sup>\u2212<\/jats:sup>\n                    <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                    . This work provides a viable molecular\u2011design strategy toward next\u2011generation IEMs for cost\u2011effective AZIFBs.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/smll.74784","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T12:33:56Z","timestamp":1785414836000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Molecularly Modulated SPEEK Membranes With Engineered Dual\u2010Ion Transport for High\u2010Performance Alkaline Zinc\u2010Iron Flow Batteries"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"22","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-0528-6728","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chunli","family":"Song","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Chemical and Blasting Engineering Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Specialty Polymers Anhui University of Science and Technology  Huainan Anhui People's Republic of 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