Recently, the research team led by Li Xianfeng and Zhang Huamin, researcher of the Institute of Energy Storage Technology of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made new progress in the research of alkaline zinc-iron flow batteries. The relevant research results were published in Nature Communications. ).
Energy storage technology is a key core technology of distributed energy systems. In recent years, the alkaline zinc-iron liquid battery energy storage technology developed by the research team has the characteristics of low cost, high safety, high open circuit voltage and environmental friendliness. In the field of energy storage, it has a good application prospect. However, the alkaline zinc-iron flow battery is accompanied by the problem of zinc dendrite and zinc accumulation during charging and discharging cycles, which affects the reliability of the battery. Therefore, solving zinc The problem of dendritic and zinc accumulation, improving the reliability of the battery is the key to the practical application of alkaline zinc-iron flow battery.
To solve the above problems, the research team based on a deep understanding of ion-conducting membranes (Chem. Soc. Rev.), the negatively charged porous ion-conducting membrane was introduced into the alkaline zinc-iron flow battery. The repulsion of Zn(OH)42-ion by electric charge realizes that the deposition direction of zinc in the alkaline zinc-iron flow battery is changed from ion-conducting membrane to electrode-side, avoiding the damage of zinc dendrites to the diaphragm. The cycle stability of the battery is greatly improved. In addition, the design can significantly increase the surface capacity of the zinc-based flow battery, and to some extent solve the problem of the limited capacity of the zinc negative electrode surface of the conventional zinc-based flow battery. It has important reference significance for the regulation of zinc negative electrode in zinc-based batteries.
The above research work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the frontier key projects of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
