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Batteries
Special Issues
Energy Storage of Redox-Flow Batteries
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Energy Storage of Redox-Flow Batteries

A special issue of Batteries (ISSN 2313-0105). This special issue belongs to the section "Battery Modelling, Simulation, Management and Application".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2024) | Viewed by 12985

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhiming Liang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Interests: charge transport in conjugated polymer and nanosturecutres; electronic structure of organic molecules; energy storage materials
Dr. Yichao Yan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Interests: redox flow battery; perovskite solar cell; zinc-ion battery; photocatalytic water splitting

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Redox-flow batteries (RFBs) are promising electrochemical energy storage systems for stationary applications due to their lower capital cost and increased stability compared to other technologies. Unlike traditional batteries, the power and capacity of RFBs are decoupled due to the independence between electrodes' surface area and volume/concentration of electroactive species. For the past decade, RFB technology has developed significantly in the design of advanced redox couples, electrolytes, and membranes. However, challenges still remain including solubility, sustainability, operating voltage, and crossover of active species. In this Special Issue, we are looking for contributions to developing novel redox active materials/electrolytes/separators/membranes, mechanistic studies, degradation analysis, and innovative solutions to enhance RFB performance parameters.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Aqueous or non-aqueous redox couples.
  • Solubility, stability, operating voltage of redox couples.
  • Crossover analysis of membranes or separators.
  • Mechanisms of active material degradation.
  • Kinetics of redox reactions.
  • Electrolytes.

Dr. Zhiming Liang
Dr. Yichao Yan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Batteries is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aqueous redox flow battery
  • non-aqueous redox flow battery
  • redox couples
  • crossover
  • electrochemical stability

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 9925 KiB  
Article
Modeling and Simulation of Single Flow Zinc–Nickel Redox Battery Coupled with Multi-Physics Fields
by Chunning Song, Kaixuan Zhang and Nanjun Li
Batteries 2024, 10(5), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries10050166 - 19 May 2024
Viewed by 1032
Abstract
Metallic zinc (Zn) presents a compelling alternative to conventional electrochemical energy storage systems due to its environmentally friendly nature, abundant availability, high water compatibility, low toxicity, low electrochemical potential (−0.762 V vs. SHE), and cost-effectiveness. While considerable efforts have been devoted to enhancing [...] Read more.
Metallic zinc (Zn) presents a compelling alternative to conventional electrochemical energy storage systems due to its environmentally friendly nature, abundant availability, high water compatibility, low toxicity, low electrochemical potential (−0.762 V vs. SHE), and cost-effectiveness. While considerable efforts have been devoted to enhancing the physical and chemical properties of zinc-ion battery materials to improve battery efficiency and longevity, research on multi-physics coupled modeling for a deeper understanding of battery performance remains relatively scarce. In this study, we established a comprehensive two-dimensional model for single-flow zinc–nickel redox batteries to investigate electrode reactions, current-potential behaviors, and concentration distributions, leveraging theories such as Nernst–Planck and Butler–Volmer. Additionally, we explored the distribution of the velocity field using the Brinkman theory in porous media and the Navier–Stokes equations in free-flow channels. The validated model, informed by experimental data, not only provides insights into the performance of the battery, but also offers valuable recommendations for advancing single-flow zinc–nickel battery technology. Our findings offer promising avenues for enhancing the design and performance of not only zinc–nickel flow batteries, but also applicable for other flow battery designs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Storage of Redox-Flow Batteries)
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21 pages, 9142 KiB  
Article
Design and Development of Flow Fields with Multiple Inlets or Outlets in Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries
by Marco Cecchetti, Mirko Messaggi, Andrea Casalegno and Matteo Zago
Batteries 2024, 10(3), 108; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries10030108 - 16 Mar 2024
Viewed by 2027
Abstract
In vanadium redox flow batteries, the flow field geometry plays a dramatic role on the distribution of the electrolyte and its design results from the trade-off between high battery performance and low pressure drops. In the literature, it was demonstrated that electrolyte permeation [...] Read more.
In vanadium redox flow batteries, the flow field geometry plays a dramatic role on the distribution of the electrolyte and its design results from the trade-off between high battery performance and low pressure drops. In the literature, it was demonstrated that electrolyte permeation through the porous electrode is mainly regulated by pressure difference between adjacent channels, leading to the presence of under-the-rib fluxes. With the support of a 3D computational fluid dynamic model, this work presents two novel flow field geometries that are designed to tune the direction of the pressure gradients between channels in order to promote the under-the-rib fluxes mechanism. The first geometry is named Two Outlets and exploits the splitting of the electrolyte flow into two adjacent interdigitated layouts with the aim to give to the pressure gradient a more transverse direction with respect to the channels, raising the intensity of under-the-rib fluxes and making their distribution more uniform throughout the electrode area. The second geometry is named Four Inlets and presents four inlets located at the corners of the distributor, with an interdigitated-like layout radially oriented from each inlet to one single central outlet, with the concept of reducing the heterogeneity of the flow velocity within the electrode. Subsequently, flow fields performance is verified experimentally adopting a segmented hardware in symmetric cell configuration with positive electrolyte, which permits the measurement of local current distribution and local electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Compared to a conventional interdigitated geometry, both the developed configurations permit a significant decrease in the pressure drops without any reduction in battery performance. In the Four Inlets flow field the pressure drop reduction is more evident (up to 50%) due to the lower electrolyte velocities in the feeding channels, while the Two Outlets configuration guarantees a more homogeneous current density distribution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Storage of Redox-Flow Batteries)
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9 pages, 874 KiB  
Article
Disparate Redox Potentials in Mixed Isomer Electrolytes Reduce Voltage Efficiency of Energy Dense Flow Batteries
by Casey M. Davis, Scott E. Waters, Brian H. Robb, Jonathan R. Thurston, David Reber and Michael P. Marshak
Batteries 2023, 9(12), 573; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9120573 - 27 Nov 2023
Viewed by 2360
Abstract
Electrolytes containing multiple redox couples are promising for improving the energy density of flow batteries. Here, two chelated chromium complexes that are structural isomers are characterized and combined to generate electrolytes containing up to 2 M of active species, corresponding to 53.6 Ah [...] Read more.
Electrolytes containing multiple redox couples are promising for improving the energy density of flow batteries. Here, two chelated chromium complexes that are structural isomers are characterized and combined to generate electrolytes containing up to 2 M of active species, corresponding to 53.6 Ah L−1. The mixed isomer approach enables a significantly higher active material content than the individual materials would allow, affording energy dense cells with Coulombic efficiencies of ≥99.6% at 100 mA cm−2 and an open circuit voltage of 1.65 V at 50% state-of-charge. This high concentration, however, comes with a caveat; at a given concentration, an equimolar mixed electrolyte leads to lower voltage efficiency compared to using the individual isomers, while Coulombic efficiency remains constant. Our work demonstrates that exploiting structural isomerism is an efficient approach to improve capacity, but active materials must be selected carefully in mixed systems as differences in operating potentials negatively affect energy efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Storage of Redox-Flow Batteries)
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14 pages, 3448 KiB  
Article
Ion-Selective Membranes Fabricated Using Finely Controlled Swelling of Non-Ionic Fluoropolymer for Redox Flow Batteries
by Fengjing Jiang and Rui Xue
Batteries 2023, 9(11), 545; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9110545 - 6 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1951
Abstract
Ion-selective membranes based on non-ionic polymers are promising for redox flow batteries due to their superior chemical stability and low cost. In this work, a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) ion-selective membrane is successfully prepared using a solvent-controlled swelling method, where Nafion is used as [...] Read more.
Ion-selective membranes based on non-ionic polymers are promising for redox flow batteries due to their superior chemical stability and low cost. In this work, a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) ion-selective membrane is successfully prepared using a solvent-controlled swelling method, where Nafion is used as a channel-forming promoter. The influences of Nafion on the channel formation of the membranes are studied. The results indicate that the addition of Nafion resin can greatly promote the formation of ion-conducting channels in the PVDF matrix. The obtained membranes show well-controlled proton conductivity and proton/vanadium selectivity. A battery test on a vanadium redox flow single cell is successfully performed. The energy efficiency of the cell equipped with the PVDF-based ion-selective membrane reaches 81.7% at a current density of 60 mA cm−2 and possesses excellent cycling stability and suppressed self-discharge after modification with Nafion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Storage of Redox-Flow Batteries)
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13 pages, 4646 KiB  
Article
Vanadium Redox Flow Battery Stack Balancing to Increase Depth of Discharge Using Forced Flow Attenuation
by Ilia Rashitov, Aleksandr Voropay, Grigoriy Tsepilov, Ivan Kuzmin, Alexey Loskutov, Andrey Kurkin, Evgeny Osetrov and Ivan Lipuzhin
Batteries 2023, 9(9), 464; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9090464 - 13 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1750
Abstract
Vanadium redox flow batteries are gaining great popularity in the world due to their long service life, simple (from a technological point of view) capacity increase and overload resistance, which hardly affects the service life. However, these batteries have technical problems, namely in [...] Read more.
Vanadium redox flow batteries are gaining great popularity in the world due to their long service life, simple (from a technological point of view) capacity increase and overload resistance, which hardly affects the service life. However, these batteries have technical problems, namely in balancing stacks with each other in terms of volumetric flow rate of electrolyte. Stack power depends on the speed of the electrolyte flow through the stack. Stacks are connected in parallel by electrolytes to increase battery power. If one of the stacks has a lower hydrodynamic resistance, the volume of electrolytes passing through it increases, which leads to a decrease in the efficiency of the remaining stacks in the system. This experimental study was conducted on a 10 kW uninterruptible power supply system based on two 5 kW stacks of all-vanadium redox flow batteries. It was demonstrated that forced flow attenuation in a circuit with low hydrodynamic resistance leads to an overall improvement in the system operation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Storage of Redox-Flow Batteries)
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Review

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18 pages, 5041 KiB  
Review
Molecular Engineering of Redox Couples for Non-Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries
by Casey M. Davis, Claire E. Boronski, Tianyi Yang, Tuo Liu and Zhiming Liang
Batteries 2023, 9(10), 504; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9100504 - 4 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2923
Abstract
Redox flow batteries (RFBs) have attracted significant attention as a promising electrochemical energy storage technology, offering various advantages such as grid-scale electricity production with variable intermittent electricity delivery, enhanced safety compared to metal-ion batteries, decoupled energy and power density, and simplified manufacturing processes. [...] Read more.
Redox flow batteries (RFBs) have attracted significant attention as a promising electrochemical energy storage technology, offering various advantages such as grid-scale electricity production with variable intermittent electricity delivery, enhanced safety compared to metal-ion batteries, decoupled energy and power density, and simplified manufacturing processes. For this review, we exclusively focus on organic, non-aqueous redox flow batteries. Specifically, we address the most recent progress and the major challenges related to the design and synthesis of robust redox-active organic compounds. An extensive examination of the synthesis and characterization of a wide spectrum of redox-active molecules, focusing particularly on derivatives of posolytes such as quinone, nitroxyl radicals, dialkoxybenzenes, and phenothiazine and negolytes such as viologen and pyridiniums, is provided. We explore the incorporation of various functional groups as documented in the references, aiming to enhance the chemical and electrochemical stability, as well as the solubility, of both the neutral and radical states of redox-active molecules. Additionally, we offer a comprehensive assessment of the cell-cycling performance exhibited by these redox-active molecules. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Storage of Redox-Flow Batteries)
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