title: Room Temperature, Hybrid Sodium-Based Flow Batteries with Multi-Electron Transfer Redox Reactions.
abstract: We introduce a new concept of hybrid Na-based flow batteries (HNFBs) with a molten Na alloy anode in conjunction with a flowing catholyte separated by a solid Na-ion exchange membrane for grid-scale energy storage. Such HNFBs can operate at ambient temperature, allow catholytes to have multiple electron transfer redox reactions per active ion, offer wide selection of catholyte chemistries with multiple active ions to couple with the highly negative Na alloy anode, and enable the use of both aqueous and non-aqueous catholytes. Further, the molten Na alloy anode permits the decoupled design of power and energy since a large volume of the molten Na alloy can be used with a limited ion-exchange membrane size. In this proof-of-concept study, the feasibility of multi-electron transfer redox reactions per active ion and multiple active ions for catholytes has been demonstrated. The critical barriers to mature this new HNFBs have also been explored.
authors.affiliation: 1] Wanger Institute for Sustainable Energy Research [2] Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616.
authors.forename: Jack S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Shamie
authors.affiliation: 1] Wanger Institute for Sustainable Energy Research [2] Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616.
authors.forename: Caihong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: 1] Wanger Institute for Sustainable Energy Research [2] Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616.
authors.forename: Leon L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: Energy Storage and Conversion Energy Materials Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352.
authors.forename: Vincent L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Sprenkle