Review
Chemistry, Physical
Uxua Jimenez-Blasco, Jose Carlos Arrebola, Alvaro Caballero, Federico Bella
Summary: The development of energy storage systems is crucial for replacing fossil fuels with clean energy. Zinc-bromine flow batteries offer attractive features and low cost, but require the use of bromine complexing agents to prevent corrosion and toxicity issues.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yaksh Popat, David Trudgeon, Caiping Zhang, Frank C. Walsh, Peter Connor, Xiaohong Li
Summary: This article reviews the application of carbon-based materials in bromine electrodes and discusses the research progress in performance and design of zinc-bromine, hydrogen-bromine, and polysulphide-bromine RFB systems.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexey Y. Y. Rychagov, Yury M. M. Volfkovich, Valentin E. E. Sosenkin, Alexsandr F. F. Seliverstov, Marianna Y. Y. Izmailova
Summary: In this study, a comparative analysis of bromine permeability for three separator groups in a non-flow zinc-bromine battery was conducted. A new method for synthesizing porous heterogeneous membranes using a cation-exchange resin and tetrabutylammonium bromide treatment was proposed. The results showed that the modified membrane significantly reduced bromine permeability while maintaining acceptable increase in ionic conductivity of the separator group. Leakage currents below 10-20 mu A/cm(2) were achieved, and the Coulomb efficiency was over 90%. The study also compared the AC ionic conductivity of membranes treated with water under different pretreatment conditions, and discussed the conduction mechanism of the modified membrane.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
R. Ronen, R. Gloukhovski, M. E. Suss
Summary: With the rapid growth of renewable sources in electricity generation, the use of grid-scale battery storage is increasing. Aqueous redox flow batteries have the potential to provide safe and scalable energy storage, but high costs have hindered commercialization. The development of a single-flow battery using a multiphase electrolyte offers a low-cost system, but suffers from low Coulombic efficiency. This study compares a theoretical battery model to experimental results, revealing key findings and the need to incorporate gravitational effects in future models.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2022)
Article
Electrochemistry
R. Ronen, A. D. Gat, M. Z. Bazant, M. E. Suss
Summary: Redox flow batteries, specifically membraneless batteries, are being explored for grid-scale energy storage. A mathematical model for membraneless electrochemical cells using single laminar flow between electrodes and different phases of reactants is presented. The study investigates slow and fast reactant transport between phases and shows that increasing nonaqueous phase volume fraction improves battery performance. The analytical approximations agree well with numerical solutions, establishing a useful theoretical framework for single-flow batteries with multiphase flow.
ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Muhammad Faizan Chinannai, Hyunchul Ju
Summary: This study presents a two-phase H-2/Br-2 RFB model to accurately capture key performance loss factors, i.e., hydrogen electrode flooding and HBr accumulation. The simulation results show that severe flooding in the hydrogen electrode occurs during charge, accompanied by a high level of HBr accumulation. However, the level of electrolyte dehydration due to high HBr accumulation is not as serious as the activation overpotential increase due to hydrogen electrode flooding.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY STORAGE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Amirreza Khataee, Hannes Nederstedt, Patric Jannasch, Rakel Wreland Lindstro
Summary: In this study, we synthesized two types of poly(p-terphenylene alkylene)s containing perfluoroalkylsulfonic acid and perfluorophenylsulfonic acid, respectively, through superacid-mediated polyhydroxyalkylations and made proton exchange membranes (PEMs) out of them. Compared to Nafion 212, the PEM with perfluorophenylsulfonic acid groups (PTPF-Phenyl-SA) showed higher ionic conductivity and eight times lower vanadium (IV) permeation rate. The VRFB based on PTPF-Phenyl-SA exhibited longer self-discharge duration, high average coulombic efficiency of 99.6%, and lower capacity fade of 0.24% per cycle compared to Nafion 212.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Tao Liu, Cuijuan Zhang, Jiashu Yuan, Yihan Zhen, Yongdan Li
Summary: The use of 2D vermiculite nanosheets on Celgard membranes reduces crossover contamination in NARFBs, resulting in higher Coulombic efficiency and discharge capacity without impacting voltage efficiency. This study provides an effective strategy to mitigate the crossover effect in NARFBs.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mengqi Gao, Manohar Salla, Feifei Zhang, Yongfeng Zhi, Qing Wang
Summary: Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are a reliable and durable grid-scale electricity storage technology. The performance and cost of RFB systems are largely determined by the ion-exchange membrane (IEM), which is a critical component of RFBs. This study investigates the origin and impact of membrane fouling on RFB systems, providing useful guidance for membrane selection and optimization.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jun Su, Jiaye Ye, Zhenyu Qin, Lidong Sun
Summary: In this study, an ultrathin polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film was deposited onto Nafion substrates using radio frequency magnetron sputtering to form PTFE@Nafion composite membranes. The PTFE layer improved the dimensional stability and ion selectivity of the Nafion membranes, resulting in better self-discharge property and discharge capacity retention in the VRFB single cell.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ming Zhao, Tao Cheng, Tianyu Li, Ran Bi, Yanbin Yin, Xianfeng Li
Summary: Choline-based complexing agent (CCA) is able to liquefy polybromides at low temperatures, improving the antifreezing property and bromine fixing ability of zinc-bromine flow batteries (Zn-Br-2 FBs). This CCA shows promising application prospects in other antifreezing bromine-based energy storage systems.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Vivekananda Mahanta, Richa Gupta, Kothandaraman Ramanujam
Summary: The hydrobromide salt of tribromodopamine was synthesized and used in a redox flow battery, showing high cycle life and Coulombic efficiency due to the effective capturing of bromine.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Tao Liu, Jiashu Yuan, Yihan Zhen, Cuijuan Zhang, Yongdan Li
Summary: A new porous poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane with 2D vermiculite nanosheets modification is proposed and prepared to improve the performance of non-aqueous redox flow batteries. The resultant battery constructed with the new porous membrane exhibits higher Coulombic efficiency and large average discharge capacity.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Jiwoo Lee, Jongmin Q. Kim, Hansol Ko, Inhyeok Hwang, Yoonki Lee, Kihyun Kim, Soonyong So, Siyoung Q. Choi
Summary: This study demonstrates a sub-20 nm ultrathin PFSA-g-GO/PFSA composite membrane with highly aligned ion channel morphology, which shows significant improvement in proton/vanadium ion selectivity and energy efficiency compared to traditional Nafion 211.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Youngho Lee, Deokhee Yun, Junyoung Park, Gyungmin Hwang, Daewon Chung, Miae Kim, Joonhyeon Jeon
Summary: In this paper, a new bromine-complexing agent (DMEIm center dot Br) is introduced and its effectiveness in improving the performance of zinc-bromine redox flow batteries is demonstrated. The DMEIm center dot Br enhances the reaction kinetics and reversibility of the Zn2+/Zn((s)) and Br-/Br-2 redox couples, leading to higher current and voltaic efficiencies as well as improved discharge-capacity retention.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dong-Hyun Lee, Geun-Tae Yun, Gisu Doo, Seongmin Yuk, Hwanuk Guim, Yesol Kim, Woo-Bin Jung, Hee-Tae Jung, Hee-Tak Kim
Summary: This study reports a fabrication method for hierarchical wrinkled polymer electrolyte membrane/catalyst layer interfaces, which can significantly increase the electrochemically active surface area and power performance. The enhancement factors of the resulting interfaces compared to flat interfaces are among the best observed in previous PEMFCs. The method is simple, scalable, and easily applicable for the design of high-performance PEMFCs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sungyu Choi, Sang-Hun Shin, Dong-Hyun Lee, Gisu Doo, Dong Wook Lee, Jonghyun Hyun, Jang Yong Lee, Hee-Tak Kim
Summary: The study introduces a radical-scavenger-embedded interlocking interfacial layer (IIL) to address delamination issue between hydrocarbon membranes and Nafion-based catalyst layers. The ball-socket joint structure of the IIL enables mechanical interlocking at the interface, with cerium oxide acting as a radical scavenger to prevent hydrothermal degradation of the IIL. The IIL-based PEMWE system operates for more than 500 hours with lower polarization compared to state-of-the-art hydrocarbon-based and Nafion-based PEMWE systems, marking an important milestone for cost-effective PEMWE system development.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sungyu Choi, Sang-Hun Shin, Dong-Hyun Lee, Gisu Doo, Dong Wook Lee, Jonghyun Hyun, Seok Hwan Yang, Duk Man Yu, Jang Yong Lee, Hee-Tak Kim
Summary: This study presents a new hydrocarbon-based membrane for polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzers, which improves mechanical stability and extends the operating current range. The introduction of a chain extender enhances the mechanical and chemical stability of the membrane. The new membrane has a wider operating current range compared to traditional membranes due to lower ohmic overvoltage and gas crossover at optimal ion exchange capacity.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jeehae Shin, Wonhee Jo, Jae Hyuk Hwang, Jiseok Han, Woohwa Lee, Sungmin Park, Yong Seok Kim, Hee-Tak Kim, Dong-Gyun Kim
Summary: This study presents regionally controlled multistimuli-responsive structural color switching surfaces using micropatterned DNA-hydrogel assembly. The approach allows for programmable swelling and deswelling of the DNA-hydrogel in response to multiple stimuli, overcoming existing limitations and providing reversible transitions.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hyeokjin Kwon, Jaewon Baek, Hee-Tak Kim
Summary: A lean electrolyte design is crucial in enhancing the gravimetric energy density of lithium metal batteries (LMBs) based on liquid electrolytes. However, the capacity fade issue caused by the degradation of the electrolyte and lithium metal electrode poses significant challenges under lean electrolyte conditions. This review discusses the challenges, recent progress, and potential research directions in lean electrolyte LMBs, providing insights and inspiring innovation.
ENERGY STORAGE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
HyunJin Jung, JaeHyuk Lee, JaeYun Park, Kyungjae Shin, Hee-Tak Kim, EunAe Cho
Summary: This study presents a composite electrode that reduces the electrochemical polarization in aqueous zinc-bromine flow batteries by providing a higher number of catalytically-active sites for faster bromine reaction. The composite electrode consists of conductive graphite felt and highly active tungsten oxynitride nanofibers. The addition of these nanofibers significantly improves reaction kinetics and ion diffusion.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jinkwan Jung, Hyunwon Chu, Ilju Kim, Dong Hyun Lee, Gisu Doo, Hyeokjin Kwon, Wonhee Jo, Sejin Kim, Hyenah Cho, Hee-Tak Kim
Summary: A new class of salt anion, thiocyanate (SCN-), is presented, which shows a strong Li+ coordination and direct interaction with polysulfide anions. This electrolyte significantly enhances the solubility of lithium polysulfides and promotes 3D Li2S formation. It also forms a Li3N-enriched stable SEI layer on the surface of Li metal electrode, improving cycling stability.
Editorial Material
Energy & Fuels
Hee-Tak Kim
Summary: A lithium salt with self-cleaning ability has been developed to remove organic components from the solid electrolyte interphase, resulting in improved performance with carbonate electrolytes.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sejin Kim, Jinkwan Jung, Ilju Kim, Hyeokjin Kwon, Hannah Cho, Hee-Tak Kim
Summary: By changing the solvation state of solvents and polysulfides in the electrolyte using a high-donor number (DN) salt anion (NO3-), lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) can operate stably at low temperatures. NO3- relieves clustering of lithium polysulfides and improves their kinetics and diffusion process at -20 degrees C. Furthermore, the NO3- -coordinated lithium ion solvation structure facilitates the desolvation process of lithium ions and mitigates solvent decomposition, resulting in excellent cycling stability at -20 degrees C.
ENERGY STORAGE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jonghyun Hyun, Dong Wook Lee, Euntaek Oh, Hanmin Bae, Jeesoo Park, Gisu Doo, Hee-Tak Kim
Summary: In this study, a catalyst layer (CL) compatible with the roll-to-roll process was fabricated through slurry-casting method. The rheological properties of the catalyst slurry were carefully controlled to enable casting onto a gas diffusion layer with uniform thickness and well-developed mesoporous structure. By adjusting the slurry's solid content and ionomer-to-carbon ratio, the pore structure and ionomer connectivity in the CL were controlled, leading to enhanced power performance. This work suggests a practical strategy for mass production of the CL and extends the understanding of the structure-property relationship for slurry-cast CLs.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jinkwan Jung, Hannah Cho, Ilju Kim, Sejin Kim, Wonhee Jo, Hee-Tak Kim
Summary: Achieving high discharge capacity and cycling stability in lithium sulfur batteries under high sulfur loading and lean electrolyte conditions is crucial. This study demonstrates that adding rubidium cation to the electrolyte can address the challenges caused by slow reduction kinetics of lithium polysulfide at the cathode and inhomogeneous lithium electroplating at the anode. The formation of rubidium sulfide improves the catalytic reduction of lithium polysulfides at the cathode and promotes uniform lithium deposition at the anode, resulting in impressive battery performance.
ENERGY STORAGE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Electrochemistry
Jonghyun Hyun, Seok Hwan Yang, Gisu Doo, Dong Wook Lee, Euntaek Oh, Min Suc Cha, Jang Yong Lee, Hee-Tak Kim
Summary: Compared to the remarkable advances in anion exchange ionomers, the catalyst layer of the anion exchange membrane fuel cell has not been sufficiently engineered. The weak interaction between the anion exchange ionomers and the carbon support leads to ionomer aggregation in the catalyst layer, impacting the structure and performance.
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jonghyun Hyun, Hee-Tak Kim
Summary: Hydrogen energy and related technologies are crucial for addressing climate change and meeting energy demands. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), although considered key, are hindered by their reliance on noble-metal catalysts. Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) have emerged as promising alternatives due to their use of inexpensive metals and alkaline environments. However, AEMFCs still face challenges that need to be resolved.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sunggyu Lee, Ilia Kevlishvili, Heather J. Kulik, Hee-Tak Kim, Yongchul G. Chung, Dong-Yeun Koh
Summary: This study introduces two N-containing porous organic cages for safe capture of bromine molecules. Experimental and computational research reveals their outstanding reversible sorption capacities, which are influenced by the chemical and structural nature of the cages.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jinkwan Jung, Ju Ye Kim, Il Ju Kim, Hyeokjin Kwon, Gukbo Kim, Gisu Doo, Wonhee Jo, Hee-Tae Jung, Hee-Tak Kim
Summary: This study explores the role of the work function of metallic current collectors in anode-free lithium metal batteries (LMBs). It was found that higher index surface facets lead to lower work functions and higher surface energies. A lower work function favors binding with lithium, but it also leads to electrolyte decomposition and the formation of a thick solid electrolyte interphase layer. Increasing the work function can reduce the irreversible capacity and capacity fade rate of anode-free LMBs.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
