have repurposed a commonplace chemical used in water treatment facilities to develop an all-liquid, iron-based redox flow battery for large-scale energy storage.
For comparison, previous studies of similar iron-based batteries reported degradation of the charge capacity two orders of magnitude higher, over fewer charging cycles. Iron-based flow batteries designed for large-scale energy storage have been around since the 1980s, and some are now commercially available.
Can iron-based aqueous flow batteries be used for grid energy storage?
A new iron-based aqueous flow battery shows promise for grid energy storage applications. A commonplace chemical used in water treatment facilities has been repurposed for large-scale energy storage in a new battery design by researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Are iron-based aqueous redox flow batteries the future of energy storage?
The rapid advancement of flow batteries offers a promising pathway to addressing global energy and environmental challenges. Among them, iron-based aqueous redox flow batteries (ARFBs) are a compelling choice for future energy storage systems due to their excellent safety, cost-effectiveness and scalability.
What is an iron-based flow battery?
Iron-based flow batteries designed for large-scale energy storage have been around since the 1980s, and some are now commercially available. What makes this battery different is that it stores energy in a unique liquid chemical formula that combines charged iron with a neutral-pH phosphate-based liquid electrolyte, or energy carrier.
How does an iron air battery store electricity?
Using iron to store electricity. Image used courtesy of Form Energy The Iron Air battery uses the chemical oxidation of iron that forms Fe (OH) 2, commonly referred to as rust, to store and supply electricity.
How stable is an iron-based battery?
The researchers report in Nature Communications that their lab-scale, iron-based battery exhibited remarkable cycling stability over one thousand consecutive charging cycles, while maintaining 98.7 percent of its maximum capacity.