Research

Advanced Manufacturing of 3D Porous Electrodes for Redox Flow Batteries

Principal investigator: Ana JORGE SOBRIDO
Co-investigator(s): Patrick CULLEN
Funding source(s): Faraday Institution, The
 Start: 01-06-2022  /  End: 31-05-2023
 Amount: £141,272
Redox flow batteries are potentially transformative energy storage technologies enabling increased renewable electricity to be incorporated onto the grid, off-grid capability for local communities and back-up power for utilities. Current wide-spread adoption is hindered by engineering issues of the large-scale battery stacks, low power densities due to non-optimised electrodes, and the high-cost of vanadium (the most commercially available chemistry). This focused sprint project will seek to address these key issues by using easily scalable technologies that allow for flexibility in design and manufacture of RFB electrodes in a cost effective manner. This project will combine two highly flexible manufacturing methods, 3D printing and electrospinning, to develop an innovative concept of 3D electrode that will enable optimised mass transport and electrochemical properties of the electrode, validated in an all-vanadium RFB.