Advanced Redox-Flow Batteries: A Perspective

Perry, Mike; Weber, Adam Z.

doi:10.1149/2.0101601jes

Cited by 288 publications

(229 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…[1][2][3] Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are especially attractive for stationary applications due to their scalability and their inherent ability to address the power and energy requirements independently. 4,5 However, none of today's battery technologies can meet the demands of robustness, low-cost, and environmental-friendliness simultaneously. 6 Recently, flow batteries based on aqueous solutions of simple watersoluble organic redox couples, or ORBAT, have become the subject of great interest because of their prospect of offering such a gridscale energy storage solution.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A New Michael-Reaction-Resistant Benzoquinone for Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries

Hoober-Burkhardt

Krishnamoorthy

Yang

et al. 2017

J. Electrochem. Soc.

149

177

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We report here the synthesis, characterization and properties of 3,6-dihydroxy-2,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid (DHDMBS) as a new positive side electrolyte material for aqueous organic redox flow batteries (ORBAT). We have synthesized this material in pure form in high yield and confirmed its structure. We have determined that the standard reduction potential, the rate constant of the redox reaction, and the diffusion coefficient are ideally suited for use in ORBAT. Specifically, DHDMBS overcomes the major issue of Michael reaction with water faced with 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonic acid (BQDS) and similar unsubstituted benzoquinones in the selection of positive electrolyte materials. DHDMBS can be synthesized relatively inexpensively. We have demonstrated the chemical stability of DHDMBS to repeated electrochemical cycling through NMR and electrochemical studies proving the absence of products of the Michael reaction. A flow cell with DHDMBS and anthraquinone-2,7-disulfonic acid has now been shown to operate close to 100% coulombic efficiency for over 25 cycles when continuously cycled at 100 mA/cm 2 , and can sustain current densities as high as 500 mA/cm 2 without noticeable chemical degradation. However, there was a slow decrease in the capacity of the flow cell attributable to the crossover of DHDMBS from the positive side of the cell. Thus, the present study has shown DHDMBS as a promising candidate for the positive side material for an all-organic aqueous redox flow battery in acidic media, and our future efforts will focus on understanding the crossover of DHDMBS and the effects of long-term cycling. As intermittent renewable energy sources based on solar photovoltaics and wind turbines are installed worldwide, electrical energy storage facilities will be of paramount importance to maintain the stability of the electricity grid and to meet the growing demand for clean energy. Rechargeable batteries have shown promise in meeting this large energy storage demand, because of their high efficiency and scalability.1-3 Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are especially attractive for stationary applications due to their scalability and their inherent ability to address the power and energy requirements independently.4,5 However, none of today's battery technologies can meet the demands of robustness, low-cost, and environmental-friendliness simultaneously. 6 Recently, flow batteries based on aqueous solutions of simple watersoluble organic redox couples, or ORBAT, have become the subject of great interest because of their prospect of offering such a gridscale energy storage solution. Thus, the investigation into simple organic molecules that can be readily synthesized or procured for use in ORBAT has grown significantly. 7-12Specifically, we and others have found that quinone-and anthraquinone-based molecules have the essential electrochemical characteristics for the design of ORBAT. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19] We first reported the properties of an "all-quinone" organic redox flow battery in 2014 in which the ...

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

A New Michael-Reaction-Resistant Benzoquinone for Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries

Hoober-Burkhardt

Krishnamoorthy

Yang

et al. 2017

J. Electrochem. Soc.

149

177

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“…21,22 The first group of active materials was dissolved single-elements in aqueous electrolytes, most commonly transition metal ions (e.g., Fe, V) and halogens (e.g., Br, Cl). 178 Some of the redox couple systems that have reached the greatest maturity are iron-chromium, soluble metal-bromine, iron-vanadium, and all-vanadium. 179 A more detailed discussion can be found in a recent review.…”

Section: Active Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…22 The second group of compounds are ligand-modified ions, which may be dissolved in aqueous or organic solvents. 22,65,178,[180][181][182] For example, additional capacity has been reported from the ligands of a vanadium complex. 180 More complex organic redox compounds can be modified by chemical functionalization to optimize both the redox potential and solubility.…”

Section: Active Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Review Article: Flow battery systems with solid electroactive materials

Koenig

2017

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B, Nanotechnology and Microelectronics: Materials, Processing, Measurement, and Phen

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Energy storage is increasingly important for a diversity of applications. Batteries can be used to store solar or wind energy providing power when the Sun is not shining or wind speed is insufficient to meet power demands. For large scale energy storage, solutions that are both economically and environmentally friendly are limited. Flow batteries are a type of battery technology which is not as well-known as the types of batteries used for consumer electronics, but they provide potential opportunities for large scale energy storage. These batteries have electrochemical recharging capabilities without emissions as is the case for other rechargeable battery technologies; however, with flow batteries, the power and energy are decoupled which is more similar to the operation of fuel cells. This decoupling provides the flexibility of independently designing the power output unit and energy storage unit, which can provide cost and time advantages and simplify future upgrades to the battery systems. One major challenge of the existing commercial flow battery technologies is their limited energy density due to the solubility limits of the electroactive species. Improvements to the energy density of flow batteries would reduce their installed footprint, transportation costs, and installation costs and may open up new applications. This review will discuss the background, current progress, and future directions of one unique class of flow batteries that attempt to improve on the energy density of flow batteries by switching to solid electroactive materials, rather than dissolved redox compounds, to provide the electrochemical energy storage.

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“…x is the dimensionless position in the porous electrode, where x is position (m) and L e is the electrode thickness (m): [10] c is the dimensionless concentration, which is defined as the active species concentration (c, mol m −3 ) normalized by the reference concentration (c θ , typically 1000 mol m −3 ):…”

Section: Computing Cell Area Specific Resistancementioning

confidence: 99%

The Critical Role of Supporting Electrolyte Selection on Flow Battery Cost

Milshtein

Darling

Drake

et al. 2017

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are promising devices for grid energy storage, but additional cost reductions are needed to meet the U.S. Department of Energy recommended capital cost of $150 kWh −1 for an installed system. The development of new active species designed to lower cost or improve performance is a promising approach, but these new materials often require compatible electrolytes that optimize stability, solubility, and reaction kinetics. This work quantifies changes in RFB cost performance for different aqueous supporting electrolytes paired with different types of membranes. A techno-economic model is also used to estimate RFB-system costs for the different membrane and supporting salt options considered herein. Beyond the conventional RFB design incorporating small active species and an ion-exchange membrane (IEM), this work also considers size-selective separators as a cost-effective alternative to IEMs. The size selective separator (SSS) concept utilizes nanoporous separators with no functionalization for ion selectivity, and the active species are large enough that they cannot pass through the separator pores. Our analysis finds that SSS or H + -IEM are most promising to achieve cost targets for aqueous RFBs, and supporting electrolyte selection yields cost differences in the $100's kWh Energy storage has emerged as a key technology for improving the sustainability of electricity generation 1 by improving the efficiency of existing fossil-fuel infrastructure through load-leveling or price arbitrage, 2 alleviating the intermittency of renewables (i.e., solar, wind) to promote their broad implementation, 3 and providing high-value services such as frequency regulation, voltage support, or back-up power.2 Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are promising devices for low-cost grid energy storage due to decoupled capacity and power scaling, long operational lifetime, easy thermal management, and good safety features.2,4-9 Unlike enclosed batteries (i.e., lithium-ion, nickel-metal hydride), RFBs implement soluble redox active species dissolved in liquid electrolytes, which are stored in large, inexpensive tanks. Specifically, the electrolyte is comprised of a supporting electrolyte, which contains solvent (e.g., water) and a supporting salt (e.g., sulfuric acid, sodium chloride), and the redox active species (e.g., bromine). The electrolyte is pumped through an electrochemical stack where the active species are oxidized or reduced to charge or discharge the battery. The size of the electrochemical stack determines the power rating, while the tank volume determines the energy capacity, enabling scalability unique to the RFB architecture. The introduction of new redox chemistries is a strategy for substantially lowering the electrolyte (energy) cost contribution to the total battery cost via decreased chemical costs or increased electrolyte energy density. 23,26 Key active species characteristics in determining the RFB electrolyte cost are the solubility (M), molar mass (kg mol −1 ), number of electrons stored pe...

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Advanced Redox-Flow Batteries: A Perspective

Cited by 288 publications

References 35 publications

A New Michael-Reaction-Resistant Benzoquinone for Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries

A New Michael-Reaction-Resistant Benzoquinone for Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries

Review Article: Flow battery systems with solid electroactive materials

The Critical Role of Supporting Electrolyte Selection on Flow Battery Cost

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