Towards Semi-Solid Organic Redox Flow Batteries: Material Screening, Electrochemical Performance, and Reactor Design Optimization

Abstract

As our society transitions to cleaner sources of energy, the need for stationary electricity storage becomes increasingly important. In this context, redox flow batteries (RFBs) have emerged as a promising solution to provide electricity storage at full scale, due to their high scalability and flexibility. However, despite the growing research interest, there is still a urgent need of novel batteries, which are able to operate at high energy densities while relying on sustainable, abundant, and cost-effective electrolytes.In this work we report the development of novel semi-solid RFBs based on cost-effective and environmentally friendly organic materials. We have systematically screened different classes of organic molecules, to identify suitable redox couples that can operate under stable conditions (i.e., >5,000 cycles) in a wide pH range. Therefore, we have experimentally investigated the most promising redox couples in a 10-cm2 electrochemical cell, to understand the behavior of the systems under different carbon and active molecule loadings. Finally, we have simulated the performance of the battery under dynamic and steady-state conditions, aiming to quantify the influence of fluid dynamics and rheological properties of the carbon slurry on the electrochemical performance. Based on our simulations results, we have identified new reactor designs for the RFB, aiming to optimize both fluid dynamics and electrochemical performance of the battery. Such designs represent an important first step towards future upscaling strategies.