Molecular Vanadium Oxides for Energy Conversion and Energy Storage: Current Trends and Emerging Opportunities

Abstract

Molecular vanadium oxides, or polyoxovanadates (POVs), have recently emerged as a new class of molecular energy conversion/storage materials, which combine diverse, chemically tunable redox behavior and reversible multielectron storage capabilities. This Review explores current challenges, major breakthroughs, and future opportunities in the use of POVs for energy conversion and storage. The reactivity, advantages, and limitations of POVs are explored, with a focus on their use in lithium and post‐lithium‐ion batteries, redox‐flow batteries, and light‐driven energy conversion. Finally, emerging themes and new research directions are critically assessed to provide inspiration for how this promising materials class can advance research in sustainable energy technologies.

Atomically precise vanadium-oxide clusters

“…However, the outlook of POV chemistry is not limited to studies of atomic precision in materials science; indeed these cluster complexes have demonstrated themselves as valuable in a variety of fundamental and applications-based research. 53,98,101,102,169 Further advances in POV chemistry will seek to better understand how the properties of the metal oxide core can be manipulated toward a particular purpose. For example, understanding the precise mechanisms by which different POVs are formed is a critical step towards the purposeful generation of targeted core structures with desired features.…”

Decavanadate‐based Transition Metal Hybrids as Bifunctional Catalysts for Sulfide Oxidation and C—C Bond Construction

“…[ 1‐4 ] POVs, a unique subclass of polyoxometalates (POMs), can be precisely designed with tunable structural diversity and unmatched range of structural features, sizes, and chemical physical properties. [ 5‐6 ] As an important class of POVs, decavanadate‐based POVs with well‐defined structures, redox properties and high negative charge could provide decent opportunities to combine with metal‐organic complexes and form the single component bimetallic POVs species with multi‐functionality. [ 7‐8 ] Therefore, decavanadates are especially attractive and considered to be remarkable building blocks to construct POVs‐based metal organic‐inorganic hybrids.…”

The Coordination Polymer Cr(en)2As2VO7 Consisting of Alternating VO4 Tetrahedra and As2O5 Handles Decorated by Cr3+ Centered Complexes

“…The chemistry could be further enhanced by e. g. decoration of the cluster anions by transition metal complexes [8–16] or by integration of transition metal cations into the cluster shell [17,18] . The latter cluster modification was also reported for a variety of POVs [19] . In compounds, which are chemically modified by transition metal cations or decorated by transition metal complexes, late transition metals were used in the syntheses or preformed complexes were applied.…”