Graphene-Based Electrodes in a Vanadium Redox Flow Battery Produced by Rapid Low-Pressure Combined Gas Plasma Treatments

© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.

Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Chemistry of materials : a publication of the American Chemical Society. - 1998. - 33(2021), 11 vom: 08. Juni, Seite 4106-4121
1. Verfasser: Bellani, Sebastiano (VerfasserIn)
Weitere Verfasser: Najafi, Leyla, Prato, Mirko, Oropesa-Nuñez, Reinier, Martín-García, Beatriz, Gagliani, Luca, Mantero, Elisa, Marasco, Luigi, Bianca, Gabriele, Zappia, Marilena I, Demirci, Cansunur, Olivotto, Silvia, Mariucci, Giacomo, Pellegrini, Vittorio, Schiavetti, Massimo, Bonaccorso, Francesco
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2021
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:Chemistry of materials : a publication of the American Chemical Society
Schlagworte:Journal Article
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.
The development of high-power density vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) with high energy efficiencies (EEs) is crucial for the widespread dissemination of this energy storage technology. In this work, we report the production of novel hierarchical carbonaceous nanomaterials for VRFB electrodes with high catalytic activity toward the vanadium redox reactions (VO2+/VO2 + and V2+/V3+). The electrode materials are produced through a rapid (minute timescale) low-pressure combined gas plasma treatment of graphite felts (GFs) in an inductively coupled radio frequency reactor. By systematically studying the effects of either pure gases (O2 and N2) or their combination at different gas plasma pressures, the electrodes are optimized to reduce their kinetic polarization for the VRFB redox reactions. To further enhance the catalytic surface area of the electrodes, single-/few-layer graphene, produced by highly scalable wet-jet milling exfoliation of graphite, is incorporated into the GFs through an infiltration method in the presence of a polymeric binder. Depending on the thickness of the proton-exchange membrane (Nafion 115 or Nafion XL), our optimized VRFB configurations can efficiently operate within a wide range of charge/discharge current densities, exhibiting energy efficiencies up to 93.9%, 90.8%, 88.3%, 85.6%, 77.6%, and 69.5% at 25, 50, 75, 100, 200, and 300 mA cm-2, respectively. Our technology is cost-competitive when compared to commercial ones (additional electrode costs < 100 € m-2) and shows EEs rivalling the record-high values reported for efficient systems to date. Our work remarks on the importance to study modified plasma conditions or plasma methods alternative to those reported previously (e.g., atmospheric plasmas) to improve further the electrode performances of the current VRFB systems
Beschreibung:Date Revised 17.07.2021
published: Print-Electronic
Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE
ISSN:0897-4756
DOI:10.1021/acs.chemmater.1c00763