The intermittency of renewable energies requires the need for large scale energy storage systems. Organic, non-aqueous redox flow batteries can provide this technology. To increase the energy storage capacity of these devices, it is desirable to use high potential catholytes and low potential anolytes. However, these materials need to be paired with a selective, permeable, membrane that is used to separate the half-cells, preventing crossover of the redox active materials while allowing for ion transport between them. Here we present the development of high potential materials based on cyclopropenium and pyridinium compounds, tailoring their chemical structure towards application in redox flow batteries with selective membranes. We demonstrate herein a series of new cyclopropenium and 4-benzyl-pyridinium materials that provide stable charge/discharge cycling performance in bulk electrolysis experiments, good solubility at every redox state, high oxidation and low reduction potentials, as well as high solution stability of the oxidized and reduced species. These show promising results in lab-scale redox flow battery experiments, yielding batteries with open-circuit potentials of &gt;2 V and good cycling stability.

Development of high potential catholyte and low potential anolyte materials and their application in organic, non-aqueous redox flow batteries

254th National Meeting (2017)

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