Science Daily July 10, 2023
Redox flow batteries have a unique architecture that potentially enables cost-effective long-duration energy storage to address the intermittency introduced by increased renewable integration for the decarbonization of the electric power sector. Targeted molecular engineering has demonstrated electrochemical reversibility in natively redox-inactive ketone molecules in aqueous electrolytes. However, the kinetics of fluorenone-based flow batteries continue to be limited by slow alcohol oxidation. A team of researchers in the US (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Yale University) showed how strategically designed proton regulators can accelerate alcohol oxidation and thus enhance battery kinetics. Fluorenone-based flow batteries with the organic additive β-cyclodextrin demonstrated enhanced rate capability, high capacity, and long cycling. According to the researchers their study opens a new avenue to improve the kinetics of aqueous organic flow batteries by modulating the reaction pathway with a homogeneous catalyst… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
lGraphical abstract. Credit: Joule, July 06, 2023Â