From Cosmos (27/3/24)…
Iron flow battery promises to take charge
A battery which is safe, economical and water-based, has been designed to be used for large-scale energy storage.
It promises to be able to support intermittent green energy sources like wind and solar into energy grids.
In a proof-of-concept experiment, researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory showed their iron-based battery has remarkable cycling stability. The newly designed battery maintained 98.7% of its maximum capacity even after more than 1,000 charging cycles.
The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Flow batteries consist of two chambers filled with different liquids. Unlike conventional batteries, flow battery chambers supply liquid constantly circulating through the battery to supply the electrolyte, or energy carrier.
Iron-based flow batteries have been around since the 1980s. The new battery is different because it stores energy in a unique chemical formula which combines charged iron with a neutral-pH liquid electrolyte. This nitrilotri-methylphosphonic acid (NTMPA) is commercially available in industrial quantities. It is often used to stop corrosion in water treatment facilities.
