Issue 7, 2018

A strategically managed rechargeable battery system with a neutral methyl viologen anolyte and an acidic air-cathode enabled by a mediator-ion solid electrolyte

Abstract

Redox flow batteries with organic electrode materials are attracting much attention. Previous research efforts have been focusing on liquid-phase electrodes on both the anode and cathode sides. Since batteries based on air cathodes can provide immense advantages, coupling a liquid organic electrode with a gaseous air cathode could offer multiple benefits in terms of cost, safety, and energy density. Herein we present a liquid–gaseous battery system with an aqueous methyl viologen (MV) anode and an air cathode. However, under the traditional battery operation principle with the same electrolyte at the anode and cathode, the resulting MV–air battery will not be able to provide a reasonable voltage for practical applications. In this study, the cell voltage of the MV–air chemistry is strategically manipulated by using an acidic cathode electrolyte (catholyte) and a neutral anode electrolyte (anolyte). To operate a battery with different electrolytes at the anode and cathode, a sodium-ion (Na+-ion) conductive solid-state electrolyte (Na-SSE) membrane is employed to physically and electrically separate the two electrodes. The shuttling of sodium ions via the Na-SSE balances the ionic charge transfer between the two electrodes and sustains the redox reactions at the air cathode and the MV anode.

Graphical abstract: A strategically managed rechargeable battery system with a neutral methyl viologen anolyte and an acidic air-cathode enabled by a mediator-ion solid electrolyte

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
17 май 2018
Accepted
29 май 2018
First published
30 май 2018

Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2018,2, 1452-1457

Author version available

A strategically managed rechargeable battery system with a neutral methyl viologen anolyte and an acidic air-cathode enabled by a mediator-ion solid electrolyte

X. Yu and A. Manthiram, Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2018, 2, 1452 DOI: 10.1039/C8SE00227D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements