Neutron imaging to study the influence of flow fields and porous electrodes on concentration distributions in redox flow cells

Abstract

Understanding reactive mass transport in redox flow reactors is key to improving performance, yet conventional characterization techniques often rely on cell-averaged metrics and fail to resolve local transport phenomena. In this study, we employ operando neutron radiography to visualize concentration distributions in redox flow cells with non-aqueous electrolytes, leveraging the high attenuation of hydrogen-containing organic molecules and boron-containing supporting ions. Symmetric flow cell experiments were conducted with three electrode types (paper, cloth, and a hierarchical porous electrode fabricated via non-solvent induced phase separation), and two flow field designs (parallel and interdigitated). We find that for kinetically facile electrolytes with low ionic conductivity and with parallel flow fields, electrodes with large pores in the though-plane direction (i.e., carbon cloth) augment the current output. Additionally, interdigitated flow fields sustain higher currents than parallel flow fields at a fixed potential and flow rate due to enhanced convective transport. Despite significant differences in macroscopic performance among the studied materials, the concentration profiles within the cell showed only minor variations within the studied operating conditions and imaging configuration. The cloth electrode and interdigitated flow field exhibited slightly more uniform concentration profiles across the electrode thickness compared to the paper electrode with the parallel flow field. In contrast, the phase-separation electrode displayed more steep concentration profiles and a stronger dependency on polarity reversal. Neutron radiography further uncovered critical secondary effects, including salt precipitation and flow field underutilization. These findings highlight the potential of operando imaging to inform the design and operation of electrochemical reactors for a range of technologies.