Unveiling the Role of Electrografted Carbon-Based Electrodes for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

This study systematically explores the influence of structural and functional groups on the vanadium reactions at carbon surfaces. Pyridine, phenol and butyl containing groups are attached to graphite felt electrodes. To establish a unique comparison between the model and real-world behavior, both non-activated and commercially used thermally activated felts serve as a substrate. Results reveal enhanced half-cell performance in non-activated felt with introduced hydrophilic functionalities. However, this cannot be transferred to the thermally activated felt. Beyond a decrease in electrochemical activity, a reduced long-term stability can be observed. This work indicates that thermal treatment generates active sites that surpass the effect of functional groups and are even impeded by their introduction.PMID:38517381 | DOI:10.1002/cssc.202301659

Source: ChemSusChem - March 22, 2024 Category: Chemistry Authors: Matthias Kogler Nikolai Rauh Soniya Gahlawat Muhammad Adeel Ashraf Markus Ostermann Markus Valtiner Christian M Pichler Source Type: research