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					</table><p>Researchers from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (<a href="https://www.pnnl.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PNNL</a>) have discovered that a widely used food and medicine additive can significantly enhance the capacity and longevity of a next-generation flow battery design.</p>
<p>The study, recently published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(23)00256-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Joule</em></a>, introduces the successful integration of a novel additive called β-cyclodextrin, which is a dissolved simple sugar derived from starch, to optimize the performance of flow batteries.</p>
<p>Through a series of experiments, the researchers optimized the chemical composition of the flow battery, ultimately achieving a 60% increase in peak power.</p>
<p>The team said their development not only extends the battery&#8217;s ability to store and release energy but also accelerates the electrochemical reactions responsible for energy conversion.</p>
<p><strong>Unleashing the Potential of Flow Batteries</strong></p>
<p>Flow batteries have emerged as a promising solution for scalable, long-lasting energy storage due to their ability to store vast amounts of energy and endure numerous charge and discharge cycles.</p>
<p>These batteries employ two chambers filled with different liquid electrolytes, allowing for efficient energy conversion.</p>
<p>However, the challenge lies in improving their capacity, longevity, and reaction efficiency. The research team at PNNL tackled these obstacles by introducing β-cyclodextrin, enabling advancements in flow battery performance.</p>
<p>Introducing β-cyclodextrin in flow battery electrolytes marked a departure from conventional catalysts. The dissolved sugar additive facilitated a process known as homogeneous catalysis, significantly enhancing the electrochemical reactions responsible for energy storage and release.</p>
<p>Unlike solid catalysts, which can dislodge and impede the system&#8217;s functionality, the sugar additive operates effectively while dissolved in the liquid electrolyte.</p>
<p>The researchers conducted continuous charge and discharge cycles for over a year, demonstrating the flow battery&#8217;s longevity. The battery&#8217;s capacity remained nearly intact throughout the experiment, underscoring the potential for prolonged and reliable energy storage.</p>
<p>The researchers said their discovery represents the first laboratory-scale flow battery experiment to report such an extended period of continuous operation with minimal capacity loss.</p>
<p><strong>A Sustainable Path Forward</strong></p>
<p>Unlike existing commercial flow batteries that rely on costly and scarce minerals like vanadium, this innovative approach employs common and easily synthesized compounds.</p>
<p>By leveraging chemicals that can be synthesized on a large scale, the flow battery industry can minimize reliance on limited resources, ensuring a sustainable and environmentally friendly energy storage solution.</p>
<p>Last year, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-claim-aqueous-redox-flow-battery-for-renewable-storage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> to have built a stable kilowatt-scale aqueous redox flow battery with high-performance organic redox-active molecules for renewable storage.</p>
<p>In the same month, researchers at the University of Sydney <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-claim-sodium-sulfur-battery-potent-than-lithium-ion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> to have developed a new, low-cost sodium-sulfur battery with four times the energy capacity of lithium-ion batteries.</p>
<p>Image Credit: PNNL</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gautamee Hazarika</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gautamee,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee.</a><br />
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<a href="gautamee@mercomindia.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gautamee@mercomindia.com</a></p>
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<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="102" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">Gautamee</a> is a reporter at Mercom India. Prior to Mercom, Gautamee was working as a multimedia news journalist at ThePrint in New Delhi. She has received her Bachelors in English Honors and Masters in English Literature from St.Stephen&#8217;s College, University of Delhi.<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee</a></div>
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Common Food and Medicine Additive Enhances Next-Generation Flow Battery Design


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					</table><p>A recent study by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (<a href="https://www.kit.edu/english/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KIT</a>) has shown that the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase, which is crucial for the functioning of lithium-ion batteries, occurs through the aggregation of solutions rather than directly at the electrode.</p>
<p>The findings offer insights into developing more efficient and long-lasting batteries in the future.</p>
<p>The researchers reached this conclusion through simulations, and the results of their study have been published in the <em>Advanced Energy Materials</em> journal.</p>
<p>These batteries, including liquid electrolyte batteries, function reliably on a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) that forms when voltage is applied for the first time.</p>
<p>The passivation layer, also known as the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), plays a crucial role in a lithium-ion battery&#8217;s electrochemical capacity and lifetime, as it is subjected to high stress during every charging cycle.</p>
<p>When the SEI is broken down, the electrolyte is further decomposed, resulting in reduced battery capacity, ultimately determining the battery&#8217;s lifetime.</p>
<p>Controlling the properties of a battery requires a thorough understanding of the SEI&#8217;s growth and composition. However, hitherto no approach has been able to decipher SEI&#8217;s complex growth processes at broad scales and dimensions.</p>
<p>It has remained a mystery how the particles in the electrolytes form a passivation layer up to 100 nanometers thick on the surface of the electrode, as the decomposition reaction is only possible within a few nanometers distance from the surface.</p>
<p>The new study from KIT has successfully characterized the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) using a multi-scale approach, solving a major mystery regarding the functioning of liquid electrolyte batteries.</p>
<p>To understand the formation and properties of the passivation layer in liquid electrolyte batteries, KIT&#8217;s Institute of Nanotechnology conducted over 50,000 simulations with various reaction conditions.</p>
<p>The team discovered that the SEI follows a solution-mediated pathway, where SEI precursors formed directly at the surface join far away from the electrode surface via nucleation.</p>
<p>This process forms a porous layer that eventually covers the electrode surface.</p>
<p>Researchers can develop suitable electrolytes and additives to control SEI properties and optimize battery performance and lifespan by identifying key reaction parameters that determine SEI thickness.</p>
<p>Recently, researchers at the Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, China, and Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/crab-shells-could-power-rechargeable-batteries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">upcycled</a> crab shells into porous, carbon-filled materials with various uses, including crab carbon, to create anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, researchers at South Korea&#8217;s Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology <a href="https://mercomindia.com/perovskite-alkylammonium-26-08-efficiency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a perovskite solar cell using alkylammonium chloride to control the formation of defects in the perovskite layer.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gautamee Hazarika</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gautamee,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee.</a><br />
<br />
<a href="gautamee@mercomindia.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gautamee@mercomindia.com</a></p>
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<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="102" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">Gautamee</a> is a reporter at Mercom India. Prior to Mercom, Gautamee was working as a multimedia news journalist at ThePrint in New Delhi. She has received her Bachelors in English Honors and Masters in English Literature from St.Stephen&#8217;s College, University of Delhi.<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee</a></div>
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KIT Researchers Discover a New Solution to Battery Passivation Puzzle

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