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Catalysts and Electrode Functionalization for Redox Flow Battery

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chen-Hao Wang

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Guest Editor

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, No. 43, Keelung Rd., Sec. 4, Da’an Dist., Taipei 10607, Taiwan
Interests: redox flow battery; fuel cell; electrochemistry

Prof. Dr. I-Ming Hung

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Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Yuan Ze University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Interests: redox flow battery; fuel cell; electrochemistry

Prof. Dr. Yong-Song Chen

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi 62102, Taiwan
Interests: redox flow battery; fuel cell; electrochemistry
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A typical redox flow battery (RFB) consists of two external reservoirs for storing energy, a cell unit for energy conversion, and the circulation system between the electrolyte tanks and the cell units. In particular, the electrode is the key component of the RFB system, because it provides the active sites for electrochemical reaction but does not take part directly in the electrochemical reaction. The reversibility and overall electrocatalytic activity of the electrode toward the redox couple reaction determine the electrochemical polarization, and the hydrophilicity and pore structure of the electrode will have a significant influence on the concentration polarization. Therefore, a high-performance, high-efficiency electrode with minimal overpotential is desired.

This Special Issue aims to focus on studies on the catalysts and the electrode functionalization for enhancing RFB efficiency. Submissions on other methods for enhancing RFB efficiency are also welcomed in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Chen-Hao Wang
Prof. Dr. I-Ming Hung
Prof. Dr. Yong-Song Chen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

redox flow battery
catalyst
electrode

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 5000 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Metal-Organic Frameworks Derived Catalyst for High-Performance Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

by Yun-Ting Ou, Daniel Manaye Kabtamu, Anteneh Wodaje Bayeh, Hung-Hsien Ku, Yu-Lin Kuo, Yao-Ming Wang, Ning-Yih Hsu, Tai-Chin Chiang, Hsin-Chih Huang and Chen-Hao Wang

Catalysts 2021, 11(10), 1188; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11101188 - 29 Sep 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3095

Abstract

Vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is one of the most promising technologies for grid-scale energy storage applications because of its numerous attractive features. In this study, metal-organic frameworks (MOF)-derived catalysts (MDC) are fabricated using carbonization techniques at different sintering temperatures. Zirconium-based MOF-derived catalyst annealed at 900 °C exhibits the best electrochemical activity toward VO²⁺/VO₂⁺ redox couple among all samples. Furthermore, the charge-discharge test confirms that the energy efficiency (EE) of the VRFB assembled with MOF-derived catalyst modified graphite felt (MDC-GF-900) is 3.9% more efficient than the VRFB using the pristine graphite felt at 100 mA cm⁻². Moreover, MDC-GF-900 reveals 31% and 107% higher capacity than the pristine GF at 80 and 100 mA cm⁻², respectively. The excellent performance of MDC-GF-900 results from the existence of oxygen-containing groups active sites, graphite structure with high conductivity embedded with zirconium oxide, and high specific surface area, which are critical points for promoting the vanadium redox reactions. Because of these advantages, MDC-GF-900 also possesses superior stability performance, which shows no decline of EE even after 100 cycles at 100 mA cm⁻². Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysts and Electrode Functionalization for Redox Flow Battery)

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Graphical abstract

12 pages, 3712 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

V₂O₅-Activated Graphite Felt with Enhanced Activity for Vanadium Redox Flow Battery

by Yi-Hung Wang, I-Ming Hung and Cheng-Yeou Wu

Catalysts 2021, 11(7), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11070800 - 30 Jun 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3120

Abstract

In this study, a simple and environment-friendly method of preparing activated graphite felt (GF) for a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) by depositing the vanadium precursor on the GF surface and calcining vanadium oxide was explored. The intermediate material, VO₂, generated carbon oxidation during the calcination. In contrast to the normal etching method, this method was simple and without a pickling process. On the surface of the activated GF, multiple pores and increased roughness were noted after the calcination temperature and surface area of the activated GF reached 350 °C to 400 °C and 17.11 m²/g, respectively. Additionally, the polarization of the activated GF decreased with resistance to the charge transfer at 0.27 Ω. After a single-cell test at current density of 150 mA/cm² was performed, the capacity utilization and the capacity retention after 50 cycles reached 70% and 84%, respectively. These results indicated the potential use of activated GF as an VRFB electrode. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysts and Electrode Functionalization for Redox Flow Battery)

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Graphical abstract

14 pages, 4201 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Atmospheric Pressure Tornado Plasma Jet of Polydopamine Coating on Graphite Felt for Improving Electrochemical Performance in Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

by Song-Yu Chen, Yu-Lin Kuo, Yao-Ming Wang, Wei-Mau Hsu, Tzu-Hsuan Chien, Chiu-Feng Lin, Cheng-Hsien Kuo, Akitoshi Okino and Tai-Chin Chiang

Catalysts 2021, 11(5), 627; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11050627 - 12 May 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3125

Abstract

The intrinsic hydrophobicity of graphite felt (GF) is typically altered for the purpose of the surface wettability and providing active sites for the enhancement of electrochemical performance. In this work, commercial GF is used as the electrodes. The GF electrode with a coated-polydopamine catalyst is achieved to enhance the electrocatalytic activity of GF for the redox reaction of vanadium ions in vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). Materials characteristics proved that a facile coating via atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) to alter the surface superhydrophilicity and to deposit polydopamine on GF for providing the more active sites is feasibly achieved. Due to the synergistic effects of the presence of more active sites on the superhydrophilic surface of modified electrodes, the electrochemical performance toward VO²⁺/VO₂⁺ reaction was evidently improved. We believed that using the APPJ technique as a coating method for electrocatalyst preparation offers the oxygen-containing functional groups on the substrate surface on giving a hydrogen bonding with the grafted functional polymeric materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysts and Electrode Functionalization for Redox Flow Battery)

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