Flow battery was considered as one of the most promising energy storage technologies for large scale energy storage due to their perfect combination of high efficiency, safety and long cycling life. As one of the flow batteries, zinc-iodine flow battery (ZIFB) obtained more and more attention because of the good electrochemical kinetic, low-cost and environmental friendly. However, the ZIFB was constrained by the low power density and short cycling life. To improve the reliability and promote the practicability, a self-healing ZIFB with high power density and long cycling life was fabricated and presented for the first time. Among all the Zinc-based flow battery, the zinc dendrite was one of the fatal problems which would cause a short-circuit issue. To suppress the damage of zinc dendrite, a polyolefine porous membrane was employed. During the battery operating, the pores of the membrane was filled with oxidized I3- which could react with the dendrite and consume it, moreover, the battery could also realize a self-healing even after a micro-short circuit occur. With the highly stable electrolyte (KI and ZnBr2) and the highly ion conductive membrane, the battery could operate at the current density of 80 mA/cm2 for more than 1000 cycles. Most importantly, a kW-class cell stack with the output of 700 W can continuously run for more than 300 cycles without obvious efficiency fading. With the high power density, energy efficiency and long cycle life, ZIFB becomes a promising candidate to develop new-generation, high-performance flow batteries.

Long cycle life self-healing zinc-iodine flow battery with high power density

2019 Fall National Meeting

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