Redox Flow and Aqueous Battery Systems

Redox Flow and Aqueous Battery Systems
Helmholtz Institute Münster / Mohn

Due to the increasing share of renewable energies, stationary energy storage systems represent a necessary key technology. They are used for intermediate storage to ensure a constant energy supply independent of fluctuating resources, such as wind and sun. The "Redox Flow and Aqueous Battery Systems" group at Helmholtz Institute Münster (HI MS) is dedicated to developing systems that are both ecological and economical. The focus is on redox flow and aqueous battery systems.

Redox Flow Batteries

In contrast to lithium- and lithium-ion batteries, redox-flow batteries are characterised by the fact that their active material, also called "redox species", is present in dissolved form and must be transported between the tank and the reaction cell by mechanical circulation systems. This results in increased demands on both the active materials and the technical design.

The research of the redox flow team combines basic and applied research and focuses on easily accessible and environmentally friendly active materials. For a holistic view of the redox flow battery including the battery cell structure, the group focuses on optimised cell design as well as monitoring, control and regulation technology using customised sensor technology. Among the various approaches, optical sensors are used to monitor the electrolytes. For cell design, modern techniques from 3D printing are used to enable rapid adaptation of the further developed measuring cells to the redox systems under investigation and their hydrodynamics, and to reduce development costs.

Redox Flow and Aqueous Battery Systems
Research group "Redox Flow and Aqueous Battery Systems"
Helmholtz Institute Münster / Mohn

Aqueous Battery Systems

Aqueous battery chemistries show great potential for environmentally friendly, sustainable and cost-effective energy storage. To circumvent the low electrochemical stability window of water (1.23 volts), concepts such as water-in-salt electrolytes, for example high salt-in-water concentrations, are applied. The HI MS group’s research focuses on the development of novel, alternative conducting salts with high solubility and strong coordination capacity of water, which also have good compatibility with selected electrodes for good cell performance.

The researchers place a large emphasis on good environmental compatibility and cost-efficient access to the salts. Methods of thermal, electrochemical and spectroscopic analysis are used for characterisation.

Selected Publications:

Advanced Functional Materials 2023, 33(32), 2300501, DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202300501

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2023, 6, DOI: 10.1039/D2CP03756D

Polymers 2023, 15(9), 2128, DOI: 10.3390/polym15092128

Chemistry-Methods 2022, 2(9), e202200008, DOI: 10.1002/cmtd.202200008

Batteries 2022, 9(1), DOI: 10.3390/batteries9010004

Batteries & Supercaps 2021, 4(6), 923-928, DOI: 10.1002/batt.202100018

Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2020, 8, 22280-22291, DOI: 10.1039/D0TA07891C

Contact

Dr. Mariano Grünebaum

Research Group "Redox Flow and Aqueous Battery Systems"

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Building Münster /
Room E.100.066.1
+49 251/83-20383
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Last Modified: 05.11.2024