Science Daily announced a discovery on June 16, 2022 they say “topples a major barrier to organic aqueous flow battery life”. Now these batteries use dual liquid electrolytes containing pairs of dissolved chemicals, and pump these through a system on either sides of a membrane. The historic problem has always been instability. However, this new discovery apparently makes extending organic aqueous flow battery life feasible.
Extending Organic Aqueous Flow Battery Life in Theory
A group of scientists attached to University of Michigan have been exploring flow battery alternatives for the past decade. Their focus has been on developing organic aqueous flow batteries, using molecules known as anthraquinones to store energy.
These molecules come from naturally-abundant elements such as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and are able to store and release energy. But particularly, and interestingly anthraquinones decompose slowly over time, regardless of their frequency of use.
Early research by the same team uncovered a particular anthraquinone of great interest. They called it the ‘zombie quinone’ for fun, after they extended its life by exposing it to air. But this needed to happen at just the right part of its charge-discharge cycle to work.
Then, at just the right part of its charge-discharge cycle it grabbed oxygen from the air, and reverted to its original state. As if returning from the dead the researchers imagined, hence the nickname ‘zombie quinone’ they gave.
A More Practical Approach to This Sci-Fi Theory
However in practice, exposing the liquid electrolyte to air was impractical, because it disturbed battery equilibrium. But the researchers had their answer when they deep-discharged the battery fully. When it reached the point where it drained completely, a voltage pulse restored the ‘zombie quinones’ to their original state.
In this way the team effectively reversed to consequences of battery aging in their prototype. “The process works a bit like a pacemaker, periodically providing a shock to the system that revives decomposed molecules,” they explain. Ability to control organic aqueous flow battery aging could have large-scale implications for renewable energy.
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