Electroactive Materials for Next-Generation Redox Flow Batteries: From Inorganic to Organic
Jingchao Chai, Amir Lashgari, Jianbing Jiang
Abstract
Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are attractive technology for large-scale energy storage due to their independent control over energy and power. However, the practical application of RFBs is generally restricted by low energy density, inferior power density, and insufficient cyclability. While remarkable progress was made on inorganic material-based RFBs, organic redox flow batteries, where organic compounds serve as redox-active materials, have recently attracted enormous attention because of their molecular diversity, structure designability, and low cost. In this section, the recent progress on organic redox-active materials, ranging from small molecules to polymers, in aqueous and non-aqueous media, is reviewed. Particularly, the function-oriented molecular design of organic redox-active materials is presented. Finally, technological challenges and prospective research possibilities of organic redox-active materials in advanced large-scale RFBs are discussed.