Qian Xu

By Qian Xu, Chunzhen Yang and Huaneng Su

The widespread utilization of nonaqueous redox flow batteries is hindered by the low performance. Including some kinds of additives in electrolyte is a possible and facile solution. In this chapter, the effects of carbon dioxide gas, EC/DMC, and antimony ions on the electrochemical performance of nonaqueous redox flow batteries are disclosed. The results show that the ohmic resistance of the deep eutectic solvent (DES) electrolyte reduces significantly when adding carbon dioxide gas and EC/DMC, the percentage of reduction increases with the volume percentage of EC/DMC in electrolyte, and the reaction kinetics almost keeps unchanged for carbon dioxide gas and EC/DMC additives. For the additive of antimony ions, the electrochemical reaction kinetics of active redox couple is enhanced, the diffusion coefficient of active ions also increases, and the charge transfer resistance decreases. The antimony ions electrodeposited on the surface of graphite felt contribute a catalytic effect on the electrochemical reaction so as to improve the performance. However, due to the trade-off between the enhanced kinetics and reduced active surface area, the optimum concentration of antimony ions is found to be 15 mM. In addition, the flow battery assembled with negative electrolyte containing antimony ions exhibits 31.2% higher power density than that of pristine DES electrolyte.

Part of the book: Redox

By Qian Xu, Jiajia Zhang and Chunzhen Yang

Nickel foam has a unique three-dimensional (3-D) network structure that helps to effectively utilize catalysts and is often used as an electrode support material for alkaline direct alcohol fuel cells. In this chapter, first, the effect of nickel foam thickness on cell performance is explored. The results show that the thickness affects both mass transfer and electron conduction, and there is an optimal thickness. The thinner the nickel foam is, the better the conductivity is. However, the corresponding three-dimensional space becomes narrower, which results in a partial agglomeration of the catalyst and the hindrance of mass transfer. The cell performance of 0.6 mm nickel foam electrode is better than that of 0.3 and 1.0 mm. Secondly, to fully exert the catalytic function of the catalyst even at a lower loading, a mixed acid-etched nickel foam electrode with lower Pd loading (0.35 mg cm−2) is prepared then by a spontaneous deposition method. The maximum power density of the single alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell (ADEFC) can reach 30 mW cm−2, which is twice the performance of the hydrochloric acid treated nickel foam electrode. The performance improvement is attributed to the micro-holes produced by mixed acids etching, which enhances the roughness of the skeleton and improves the catalyst electrochemical active surface area.

Part of the book: Electrocatalysis and Electrocatalysts for a Cleaner Environment