BRITE Relaunch: Leak-Proof Tubular Redox Flow Batteries for the Low-Cost and Fire-Safe Storage of Solar and Wind Energy

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Lithium-ion batteries are the devices of choice for storing intermittent energy from renewable sources. Unfortunately, the high production cost and low fire-safety profile have limited our society's adoption of lithium-ion batteries. Only about 20% of home solar panel owners have installed energy-storage devices. This Boosting Research Ideas for Transformative and Equitable Advances in Engineering (BRITE) Relaunch project aims to address this challenge by developing low-cost and fire-safe iron-titanium redox flow batteries. The envisioned batteries are about 30-40% cheaper than lithium-ion batteries, and they do not possess fire-hazardous materials. The research will also be complemented by establishing an industry-university co-education program that trains undergraduate and graduate students, especially underrepresented minority students, on industrial research and development. The project will have broader impacts that can help mitigate the effect of climate change by reducing greenhouse emissions, increase the adoption of clean energy, potentially create highly paid manufacturing jobs, and train the next-generation workforce to work in emerging industries. The project has two research and development objectives. The first objective is to develop novel polysulfone-Zr-based proton-conductive membranes that reduce unwanted metal electrolyte crossovers. New dihydroxybenzene monomers tethered with a phosphoric ester group through an alkyl chain will be synthesized, which can be co-polymerized with bis(4-fluorophenyl)sulfone to yield phosphorylated polysulfones. Zirconium barriers will be impregnated inside a phosphoryl polysulfone membrane by forming water-insoluble zirconium phosphate complexes that reduce metal electrolyte crossovers. The second objective is to test tubular cell designs for leak-free redox flow batteries. A distinctive advantage of tubular flow batteries is that the sealing length is significantly reduced compared to planar cell designs, which decreases the possibility of electrolyte leaks. In addition, cell manufacturing costs can be reduced as half cells or entire cells can be produced in a single step. A co-extrusion-based fabrication technology permits continuous industrial battery production.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.