Redox Flow Batteries and Ion-Exchange Membranes for Grid-Scale Energy Storage
This community develops electrolytes, electrodes, and ion-selective membranes for redox flow batteries and fuel cells, primarily to enable long-duration energy storage and hydrogen production.
The research focuses heavily on vanadium-based redox couples, where the core challenge is separating charged ions while allowing proton or hydroxide transport. Recurring materials include sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone), polybenzimidazole, and anion exchange polymers like poly(benzimidazole) and poly(piperidinium). Graphite felt and carbon felt serve as standard electrode substrates, while composite membranes incorporating graphene oxide or inorganic fillers are investigated to improve durability. The work also extends to alternative chemistries, including aqueous organic redox couples, iron chelates, and zinc-bromine systems, all aimed at reducing cost and increasing stability for stationary storage applications.
The community is most concentrated in vanadium research, accounting for 4.9% of all vanadium-related papers, with 3,825 papers in this group. It also contributes significantly to carbon research (1,974 papers) and hydrogen research (1,025 papers), reflecting the dual focus on battery electrolytes and fuel cell membranes.
There are 10,433 papers in this community, published primarily in the Journal of Power Sources, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, and Journal of Membrane Science.
Recent work includes nonfluorinated membranes for polysulfide flow batteries, quinuclidinium-based anion exchange membranes for water electrolysis, and zinc-bromine flow batteries enabled by multi-electron transfer reactions.