Exploring the Performance and Mass-Transfer Characteristics of Porous Zinc Anodes for Membraneless Hybrid-Flow Batteries

Abstract

Zinc-based hybrid-flow batteries are considered as a promising alternative to conventional electrochemical energy-storage systems for medium- to large-scale applications due to their high energy densities, safety, and abundance. However, the performance of these batteries has been limited by issues such as dendritic growth and passivation of zinc anodes during charge–discharge cycling. To address this challenge, a variety of two- and three-dimensional zinc anodes have been investigated. While two-dimensional zinc anodes have been extensively studied, there has been limited investigation into three-dimensional zinc anodes for hybrid-flow batteries. This study highlights the potential of three-dimensional zinc anodes to mitigate overpotentials and improve the mass transport of active species to promote negative electrode reactions. The performance of a membraneless flow battery based on low-cost zinc and organic quinone was herein evaluated using experimental and numerical approaches. Specifically, the use of zinc fiber was shown to yield an average coulombic efficiency of approximately 90% and an average voltage efficiency of approximately 82% over the course of 100 cycles at a current density of 30 mA cm−2. These results indicate the viability of using zinc fiber anodes to improve the performance of existing hybrid-flow batteries.

Principles and Design of Biphasic Self‐Stratifying Batteries Toward Next‐Generation Energy Storage

“…[17] In recent years, many attempts have been made to eliminate the membrane used in hybrid RFBs directly. [18,19] Despite significant progress in efficiency and working conditions, the inherent thermodynamic instability between anode and cathode materials hinders their practical application.…”

“…Furthermore, the current production process of ion exchange membranes is accompanied by significant environmental pollution, which has attracted considerable attention in recent years [17] . In recent years, many attempts have been made to eliminate the membrane used in hybrid RFBs directly [18,19] . Despite significant progress in efficiency and working conditions, the inherent thermodynamic instability between anode and cathode materials hinders their practical application.…”

Modeling and Simulation of Single Flow Zinc–Nickel Redox Battery Coupled with Multi-Physics Fields

“…In recent years, zinc-nickel RFBs have received increasing interest since their inception. Extensive experimental investigations have focused on electrode materials [21,22], electrode morphology [23][24][25][26], and electrolyte additives [27][28][29] to improve battery performance, efficiency, and lifespan. However, most scholars focus on optimizing the physical and chemical properties of battery materials to improve the efficiency and lifespan of batteries, while research on the multi-physics coupled modeling to develop the understanding of batteries performance is not very common.…”