Modeling the Impact of Sequential Two-Electron Transfer Compounds on Redox Flow Battery Performance
Authors: Neyhouse Bertrand J. , Brushett Fikile R. 
Published: December 2020

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are promising candidates for grid-scale energy storage, but further cost reductions are needed for widespread use.1 As such, redox-active organic molecules and metal-coordination complexes are emerging as charge storage materials considering their redox potential, solubility, and stability can be tailored through molecular functionalization.2,3 Moreover, a number of these compounds can support multiple electron transfers, affording dramatic increases in energy storage capacity.4,5 However, the nature of the electron transfer events, concerted or sequential, plays a key role in determining whether the added capacity can be accessed efficiently. Specifically, depending on molecular features and cell operation, voltaic inefficiencies may be incurred which, in turn, offset any benefits of increased capacity. Therefore, we sought to quantify these losses and their relationship to molecular- and cell-level parameters to better understand the feasibility of multi-electron transfer in RFBs.

In this presentation, we use a zero-dimensional electrochemical model, accounting for thermodynamic, kinetic, and mass transfer, to simulate the performance of two-electron compounds in redox flow cells. First, using a single half-cell, we show that voltaic efficiency is significantly influenced by the average redox potential and potential difference between the redox events. We also discuss the effects of different mass transfer coefficients and comproportionation reaction rates. Second, using a full cell, we consider the effects of utilizing two-electron compounds in both half-cells and subsequent effects of charge imbalance, both resulting in further inefficiencies. By understanding the operational tradeoffs of multi-electron compounds, we can develop design criterion to guide molecular engineering efforts towards more efficient high energy density electrolytes for RFBs.

Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Award Number 1805566. B.J.N gratefully acknowledges the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant Number 1122374. Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

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