Vanadium Flow Battery for Energy Storage: Prospects and Challenges

Abstract

The vanadium flow battery (VFB) as one kind of energy storage technique that has enormous impact on the stabilization and smooth output of renewable energy. Key materials like membranes, electrode, and electrolytes will finally determine the performance of VFBs. In this Perspective, we report on the current understanding of VFBs from materials to stacks, describing the factors that affect materials' performance from microstructures to the mechanism and new materials development. Moreover, new models for VFB stacks as well as structural design will be summarized as well. Finally, the challenges, the overall cost evaluation, and future research directions will be briefly proposed.

The Chemistry of Redox‐Flow Batteries

“…Thef ollowing solutions are suggested to avoid precipitation of V V : 1) Deprotonation can be prevented by raising the concentration of the acid in the electrolyte.H owever,t his also leads to ad ecreasing solubility of vanadium species in other oxidation states at the same temperature,a nd precipitation/crystallization. [157] 2) Saturated vanadium solutions can be stabilized with additives (e.g. 5% w/w potassium sulfate,3 %w/w sodium hexametaphosphate,p olyacrylic acid) which inhibit precipitation.…”

Synergistic Catalyst–Support Interactions in a Graphene–Mn3O4Electrocatalyst for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

“…20,25 The electrocatalytic activity of rGO has been further improved by N-doping, which provides electrocatalytic binding and activation sites for the vanadium redox couples. 18,26 A somewhat separate area of research focuses on the development of metal oxide electrocatalysts, such as Nb 2 O 5 , WO 3 , Mn 3 O 4, and TiO 2 , supported on high surface area carbons. [27][28][29] In particular, the promising electrocatalytic activity of Mn 3 O 4 supported on C felt electrodes has been clearly demonstrated by Kim 29 using cyclic 5 voltammetry but it has been pointed out that the durability of such catalysts in the acidic environment within VRFBs requires further exploration.…”

Electrochemical oscillation of vanadium ions in anolyte

“…This V2O5film becomes absorbed on the anode in the water solution. In the H2SO4 solution, however, the V2O5 is dissolved due to the presence of large amount of H + what can be described by equation (5). From all results and discussion mentioned above, the electrochemical oscillation could be explained in terms of the competition between the growth and the chemical dissolution of V2O5 film [18,19].…”

“…It is applied in energy storage [5]. The all-vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) proposed by Skyllas-Kazacos et al as an efficient energy-storage systems [6] have attracted attention for their long life time, flexible design, high efficiency and fast response time [7].…”