I-Corps: Carbocation-based electrolytes for robust symmetrical organic redox flow batteries

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种允许长时间储能的电池。可再生能源的整合正在过渡到未来几十年实现零碳排放。由于太阳能和风能的短暂性，可再生能源的大规模成功部署取决于高效储能系统的开发。虽然锂离子电池是公用事业规模上最发达的电化学存储技术，但它们最适合4 - 6小时的存储和高需求的调峰。为了实现长期排放目标，需要8-12小时或更长时间的能量储存。长时间存储技术，例如所提出的电池技术，具有公用事业、工业和住宅规模应用的潜力。这个I-Corps项目的基础是开发高能量密度和廉价的电解质，用于坚固的对称有机氧化还原液流电池（RFB）。在RFB中，功率由电极尺寸和堆叠电极的数量控制，而能量容量由存储电解质的槽的尺寸控制，从而导致功率和能量容量的解耦。对于长期存储，解耦功率和能量的能力是有益的，因为RFB堆和罐的尺寸可以改变以满足应用要求。与基于金属的RFB不同，有机RFB克服了传统RFB的局限性，例如高成本和高毒性，同时提供锂离子电池无法提供的长时间能量存储。所提出的技术采用碳阳离子，例如甲氧基喹啉并吖啶盐，其是开路电位为2.12V的稳定电解质。这些盐可以用作阳极电解液和阴极电解液，从而产生具有高循环性和高效率保持的完全对称的系统。 该I-Corps团队将通过客户发现来确定该技术对市场的适用性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a battery that allows long duration energy storage. The integration of renewable energy is transitioning to achieve zero-carbon emission in the decades to come. Due to solar and wind energy’s transitory nature, the successful deployment of renewable energy on a large scale depends on the development of efficient energy storage systems. While lithium-ion batteries are the most developed electrochemical storage technology at utility scale, they are best suited for four to six hours (4–6 h) storage and high demand peak shaving. To achieve longer-term emission goals, longer duration energy storage of 8–12 h or more is required. Long duration storage technologies, such as the proposed battery technology, have potential for utility, industry, and residential scale applications. This I-Corps project is based on the development of energetically dense and inexpensive electrolytes for robust symmetrical organic Redox Flow Batteries (RFBs). In RFBs, power is controlled by the electrode size and the number of stacked electrodes, while energy capacity is controlled by the size of the tank that stores the electrolyte, resulting in the decoupling of power and energy capacity. For long-term storage, the ability to decouple power and energy is beneficial since the size of RFB stacks and tanks may be changed to meet application requirements. Unlike metal-based RFBs, organic RFBs overcome limitations of conventional RFBs, such as high cost and high toxicity, while providing the long duration energy storage that lithium-ion batteries cannot. The proposed technology employs carbocation, such as methoxyquinolinoacridinium salt, which is a stable electrolyte with an open circuit potential of 2.12 V. These salts may be used as both the anolyte and catholyte, resulting in a fully symmetric system that has high cyclability and high efficiency retention. This I-Corps team will determine the suitability of this technology to the marketplace through customer discovery.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.