Eurekalert May 28, 2019
Researchers at Harvard University found that the organic anthraquinone molecules that powered their ground-breaking organic aqueous flow battery were slowly decomposing over time, reducing the long-term usefulness of the battery. They figured out the mechanism of decomposition and devised a way to mitigate it. In an experiment the mitigation technique recovered 70 percent of the lost capacity. According to the team the decomposition and rebirth mechanisms are likely to be relevant for all anthraquinones, and anthraquinones have been the best-recognized and most promising organic molecules for flow batteries…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
So-called zombie molecules cut the capacity fade rate of the battery at least a factor of 40 while keeping the battery low-cost. Credit: Harvard SEAS