A High Voltage Aqueous Zinc–Vanadium Redox Flow Battery with Bimodal Tin and Copper Clusters by a Continuous-Flow Electrometallic Synthesis

Abstract

Aqueous zinc-based redox flow batteries are promising large-scale energy storage applications due to their low cost, high safety, and environmental friendliness. However, the zinc dendritic growth has depressed the cycle performance, stability, and efficiency, hindering the commercialization of the zinc-based redox flow batteries. We fabricate the carbon felt modified with bimodal sized tin and copper clusters (SCCF) with the electrometallic synthesis in a continuous-flow cell. The SCCF electrode provides a larger zinc nucleation area and lower overpotential than pristine carbon felt, which is ascribed to the well-controlled interfacial interaction of bimodal tin and copper particle clusters by suppressing unwanted alloy formation. The zinc symmetric flow battery and the zinc-based hybrid redox flow battery show the improved zinc plating and stripping efficiency. The SCCF electrode exhibits 75% improved cycling stability compared to the pristine carbon felt electrode in the zinc symmetric flow battery. Notably, the high-voltage aqueous zinc–vanadium redox flow battery demonstrates a high average cell voltage of 2.31 V at 40 mA cm–2, showing a Coulombic efficiency of 99.9% and an energy efficiency of 87.6% for 100 cycles. We introduce a facile strategy to suppress the zinc dendritic growth, enhancing the performance of the zinc-based redox flow batteries.

Controllable Carbon Felt Etching by Binary Nickel Bismuth Cluster for Vanadium–Manganese Redox Flow Batteries

“…In addition, the AEM showed chemical stability over 100 cycles even in contact with a highly oxidative cathodic redox couple, despite being a hydrocarbon-based separation membrane. 52,53 Thus, we assembled and evaluated a V/Mn cell to confirm the mitigation effect of active cation interpenetration using different IEMs.…”

“…It was attributed to the spontaneously formed repulsive force between the ammonium substituent (−NR 3 + ) of the AEM and the active cations (Figure S1b). In addition, the AEM showed chemical stability over 100 cycles even in contact with a highly oxidative cathodic redox couple, despite being a hydrocarbon-based separation membrane. , Thus, we assembled and evaluated a V/Mn cell to confirm the mitigation effect of active cation interpenetration using different IEMs.…”