A simply designed galvanic device with an electrocatalytic reaction

Abstract

A novel galvanic device for energy storage via an electrochemical homogeneous catalytic reaction is developed within this work. It is based on two redox electrochemical reactions, one of which acts as the positive electrode reaction and the other works in a sacrificial manner. These two equal-sized electrodes sit opposite each other between a cast polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) gasket channel. This totally membrane-free, electrochemical device functions as a redox flow cell, with significant potential application in the energy harvesting field. Its features include design simplicity, geographical flexibility and high power efficiency. The voltage efficiency was improved by ca. 3% under rapid flow conditions. Furthermore, a sulphurous reactant (in this work L-cysteine) is employed to enhance the energy storage ability through an electrocatalytic mechanism. The energy storage capacity of the cell was lifted by ca. 27% via the electrocatalytic reaction.