Ion-solvaing membranes (ISMs) have received extensive attention in recent years as a key component in electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices. This article provides an overview of structural composition, performance advantages, research progress, ion conduction mechanism and existing issues of ISMs, primarily classifying them according to the matrix structure. A detailed analysis of performance enhancement methods, key performance indicators of ISMs and performance influencing factors is also presented. The article contributes to further optimizing the design and application of ion-solvation membranes, providing theoretical support for the development of fields such as hydrogen production through electrolysis of water and electrochemical energy in the future.

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs), which are crucial fuel cell parts, play an important role in the field of energy science. However, the further development of conventional PEMs based on synthetic polymers is greatly limited by high energy consumption and difficult degradation. In this work, we reported the fabrication of a novel viscose-based PEM via cationic modification and dyeing treatment with the reactive dyes KE-7B1. High-efficiency proton transmission channels can be constructed due to the formation of the complex internal three-dimensional network of the as-prepared viscose-based PEM. H⁺ conductivity ( ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{H}}^{+}$) and water uptake are intensively investigated by changing the cationic agents and KE-7B1, and the maximum ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ reaches 44.19 mS/cm at 80 °C and 98% relative humidity (RH). Furthermore, the prepared membrane shows the lowest calculated activation energy value (12.25 kJ/mol), indicating that both Grotthuss and Vehicle mechanisms play an important role in ionic transport. The membrane chemical structure and micromorphology are analyzed and the proton transmission modes are explored in detail, supplemented with research on the hydrophilic/hydrophobic characteristics and crystallinity of the membranes. The application stability of the membranes is also evaluated analyzing the thermal, mechanical, and oxygen resistance properties, and the results show that all the prepared membranes can maintain good thermal stability within 200 °C. The maximum tensile strength reaches 42.12 MPa, and the mass losses of the membranes soaked in 30% (in mass, same below) H₂O₂ solution for 120 h can be restricted to 10%. Therefore, as a novel PEM, the obtained dye viscose-based membranes show great potential for application in fuel cells.