TAGS: Green and Bioplastics New Energy Solutions Creativity with Plastics
Researchers at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) have recently developed promising new polymer electrolytes for redox flow batteries, which are flexible, efficient, and environmentally friendly.
Huge Potential of Redox Flow Batteries
The new material developed by the Jena chemists is used in so-called redox flow batteries. “
In this type of battery, the energy-storing components are dissolved in a solvent and can therefore be stored at a decentralized location, which allows the battery to be scaled as required, from a few milliliters to several cubic meters of electrolyte solution,” says Prof. Dr Ulrich S. Schubert, Friedrich Schiller University.
Thanks to this flexibility, redox flow batteries generally have a great potential to become an important means of energy storage in the future. Until now, however, they suffered from two weaknesses that have prevented their widespread use.
The first was the frequent usage of environmentally hazardous and toxic heavy metal salts, such as vanadium dissolved in sulfuric acid, as electrolytes. The other problem was the restriction of the batteries to a maximum working temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, which necessitated the usage of an elaborate cooling system. With the help of the new material, these two problems were solved.
Efficient, Cleaner and Heat-resistant Polymer
Researchers have designed a new type of polymer that is soluble in water, which makes it suitable for use in an aqueous electrolyte, and that contains iron, which provides the ability to store electricity. At the same time, the polymer can cope with a significantly higher temperature of up to 60 degrees Celsius, so that the additional expense for a sensitive temperature management is eliminated. In addition, during their tests with the new system, the Jena researchers discovered that it also works more efficiently than its predecessors.
This means that electricity can be stored in a non-hazardous, water-based solution, which is then stored temporarily in tanks, and the electricity in the battery can be used again the next day without significant losses or additional effort. Systems of this kind can also be used in warmer regions, such as Africa, India or Brazil.
By improving the energy storage medium, the redox flow battery is once again in a good position to make an important contribution as the energy storage technology of the future. And the development shows the great importance of novel polymers for the development of innovative storage methods.
Source: Friedrich Schiller University Jena