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Compressed composite carbon felt as a negative electrode for a zinc-iron flow battery.

Authors :
Saupsor J
Sangsawang J
Kao-Ian W
Mahlendorf F
Mohamad AA
Cheacharoen R
Kheawhom S
Somwangthanaroj A
Source :
Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2022 Dec 07; Vol. 12 (1), pp. 21156. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Dec 07.
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

Flow batteries possess several attractive features including long cycle life, flexible design, ease of scaling up, and high safety. They are considered an excellent choice for large-scale energy storage. Carbon felt (CF) electrodes are commonly used as porous electrodes in flow batteries. In vanadium flow batteries, both active materials and discharge products are in a liquid phase, thus leaving no trace on the electrode surface. However, zinc-based flow batteries involve zinc deposition/dissolution, structure and configuration of the electrode significantly determine stability and performance of the battery. Herein, fabrication of a compressed composite using CF with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is investigated in a Zn-Fe flow battery (ZFB). Graphene (G) is successfully introduced in order to improve its electrochemical activity towards zinc reactions on the negative side of the ZFB. A compressed composite CF electrode offers more uniform electric field and lower nucleation overpotential (NOP) of zinc than a pristine CF, resulting in higher zinc plating/stripping efficiency. Batteries with modified electrodes are seen to provide lower overpotential. Particularly, the G-PVDF-CF electrode demonstrates maximum discharge capacity of 39.6 mAh cm <superscript>-2</superscript> with coulombic efficiency and energy efficiency over 96% and 61%, respectively. Finally, results lead to increased efficiency and cycling stability for flow batteries.<br /> (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2045-2322
Volume :
12
Issue :
1
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Scientific reports
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
36477629
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25763-5