Table Of ContentRedox Flow Batteries
Fundamentals and Applications
ELECTROCHEMICAL ENERGY STORAGE AND CONVERSION
SerieS editor: JiuJun Zhang
National Research Council Institute for Fuel Cell InnovationVancouver, British
Columbia, Canada
PubliShed titleS
Redox Flow Batteries: Fundamentals and Applications
Huamin Zhang, Xianfeng Li, and Jiujun Zhang
Electrochemical Supercapacitors for Energy Storage and Delivery: Fundamentals and
Applications
Aiping Yu, Victor Chabot, and Jiujun Zhang
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
Zhigang Qi
Graphene: Energy Storage and Conversion Applications
Zhaoping Liu and Xufeng Zhou
Electrochemical Polymer Electrolyte Membranes
Jianhua Fang, Jinli Qiao, David P. Wilkinson, and Jiujun Zhang
Lithium-Ion Batteries: Fundamentals and Applications
Yuping Wu
Lead-Acid Battery Technologies: Fundamentals, Materials, and Applications
Joey Jung, Lei Zhang, and Jiujun Zhang
Solar Energy Conversion and Storage: Photochemical Modes
Suresh C. Ameta and Rakshit Ameta
Electrochemical Energy: Advanced Materials and Technologies
Pei Kang Shen, Chao-Yang Wang, San Ping Jiang, Xueliang Sun, and Jiujun Zhang
Electrolytes for Electrochemical Supercapacitors
Cheng Zhong, Yida Deng, Wenbin Hu, Daoming Sun, Xiaopeng Han, Jinli Qiao, and Jiujun
Zhang
Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide: Fundamentals and Technologies
Jinli Qiao, Yuyu Liu, and Jiujun Zhang
Metal–Air and Metal–Sulfur Batteries: Fundamentals and Applications
Vladimir Neburchilov and Jiujun Zhang
Photochemical Water Splitting: Materials and Applications
VNeelu Chouhan, Ru-Shi Liu, and Jiujun Zhang
Redox Flow Batteries
Fundamentals and Applications
Edited by
Huamin Zhang, Xianfeng Li, and Jiujun Zhang
CRC Press
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Contents
Pref ace .....................................................................................................................vii
About the Editors ......................................................................................................ix
Contributors ..............................................................................................................xi
Chapter 1 Large-Scale Energy Storage: An Overview .........................................1
Huamin Zhang
Chapter 2 Introduction to Redox Flow Batteries ................................................43
Wei Wang, James P. Kizewski, and Wentao Duan
Chapter 3 Vanadium Flow Batteries: Principles, Characteristics, Structure,
Evaluation ...........................................................................................77
Zonghao Liu and Yi Zou
Chapter 4 Key Materials of Vanadium Flow Batteries: Electrodes ..................127
Xinzhuang Fan, Jianguo Liu, and Chuanwei Yan
Chapter 5 Key Materials of Vanadium Flow Batteries: Electrolytes ................217
Vijayakumar Murugesan
Chapter 6 Key Materials of Vanadium Flow Batteries: Ion-Conducting
Membranes .......................................................................................239
Zhizhang Yuan, Xianfeng Li, and Huamin Zhang
Chapter 7 Vanadium Flow Batteries: Stacks and Systems ...............................267
Xiangkun Ma
Chapter 8 Applications of Flow Battery Energy Storage .................................307
Wang Xiaoli and Zhang Yu
Chapter 9 Flow Batteries: Vanadium and Beyond ............................................327
Maria Skyllas-Kazacos
v
vi Contents
Chapter 10 Zinc–Nickel Single Flow Battery .....................................................355
Qinzhi Lai, Chenhui Wang, Yang Song, Xianfeng Li, and
Huamin Zhang
Chapter 11 Nonaqueous Redox Flow Batteries ..................................................373
Yun Li and Ivo Vankelecom
Chapter 12 Redox Flow Lithium Batteries: Toward Higher Energy Density .....403
Chuankun Jia and Qing Wang
Index ......................................................................................................................421
Preface
In the last few years, renewable energies like solar and wind energy have been
extensively explored due to the critical issues of energy shortage and air pollution.
However, these renewable sources are intermittent and often unpredictable, leading
to low-quality output electricity and a negative effect on the stability of the grid.
Electricity energy storage technique (EES), which could play the role of storing and
releasing electricity as needed, has therefore become an effective way to solve these
problems. As generally recognized, EES can improve the quality and reliability of
photovoltaic (PV) and wind-generated electricity.
Until now, different kinds of energy storage techniques have been developed for
different applications with their own specific advantages and limitations. Flow bat-
teries have received wide attention in large-scale energy storage due to their attractive
features like flexible design, high safety, high energy efficiency, and friendliness to
the environmental. In recent years, flow batteries have rapidly developed, especially
vanadium flow batteries (VFB). Different demonstrations with scale from 10s kW
to MW have been successfully implemented, confirming the feasibility of flow bat-
teries in the application of large-scale energy storage. In addition, new flow battery
systems with higher energy density and lower cost are becoming a very important
topic. Despite this, there has been no specialized book on flow batteries; therefore,
we saw a need to write a book on flow batteries to provide a deeper introduction.
In this book, we present very detailed introduction to different kinds of flow bat-
teries. The basic knowledge of flow batteries, including the main types, the electro-
chemical processes, the materials and components, and the application as well as
the prospects are presented in detail. In addition, some new flow battery systems are
discussed. This book will help people to fully understand flow batteries from their
fundamentals to their commercial applications.
The leading researchers on flow batteries contributed to this volume, including
researchers both from universities and institutes, and those from industry, and very
extensive references are included at end of each chapter. Thus, this book offers a
comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art in the field off low batter-
ies and the potential for future developments. The topics presented in this book are
addressed to those working as researchers, PhD students in doctoral or postdoctoral
roles and engineers, and they can also be considered sources of information on all
mentioned aspects.
vii
About the Editors
Xianfeng Li was born in 1979 in China. He received his PhD
in polymer chemistry and physics from Jilin University in
2006. After three years’ postdoctoral work with Professor
Vankelecom of K. U. Leuven University, he was appointed
associated professor at Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics
(DICP), Chinese Academy of Science (CAS). In 2012, he was
promoted to full professor. He currently serves as head of the
energy storage division at DICP. His research interests include
functional membranes for secondary battery applications
(flow battery, lithium-ion battery, lithium–sulfur battery, etc.). To date, he is the
author of more than 150 peer-reviewed papers with more than 3000 citations. His
h-index is 32, and he has applied for more than 150 patents in the battery field. He
has received several awards from the Chinese government, including Outstanding
Science and Technology Achievement Prize of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,
the National Technology Invention Award, and others. He currently serves on the
editorial board of Scientific Reports.
Huamin Zhang currently serves as a full professor at Dalian
Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), Chinese Academy of
Science (CAS). He is also CTO of Dalian Rongke Power Co.,
Ltd, and director of the state key lab of flow batteries for energy
storage. He got his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from
Shandong University in 1982. Afterwards, he received his MS
and PhD from Kyushu University in 1985 and 1988, respec-
tively. After several years’ work in SUD-CHEMIE Japan
Osaka Gas Inc., he joined DICP as a full professor in 2000. His
research interests include the topics of energy and energy stor-
age, for example fuel cells, flow batteries, and batteries with high s pecific-energy
density. Professor Zhang has co-authored more than 260 research papers published in
refereed journals and more than 150 patents. He has received numerous awards from
the Chinese government, including outstanding Science and Technology Achievement
Prize of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Technology Invention Award,
and Dalian Technology Invention Award, among others.
Jiujun Zhang is a professor and dean in the College of
Sciences/Institute for Sustainable Energy at Shanghai
University, and former principal research officer at the National
Research Council of Canada (NRC), fellow of the Canadian
Academy of Engineering (CAE), fellow of the International
Society of Electrochemistry (ISE), fellow of the Engineering
Institute of Canada (EIC), and fellow of the Royal Society of
Chemistry (RSC). Dr. Zhang’s areas of technical expertise are
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