Iron Liquid Flow Battery Electrolyte

What is an iron-based flow battery?

Iron-based flow batteries designed for large-scale energy storage have been around since the 1980s, and some are now commercially available. What makes this battery different is that it stores energy in a unique liquid chemical formula that combines charged iron with a neutral-pH phosphate-based liquid electrolyte, or energy carrier.

Why is electrolyte engineering important for all-iron flow batteries?

For all-iron flow batteries, electrolyte engineering is particularly important to mitigate HER, which competes with iron redox reactions. Additionally, optimizing carbon-based electrodes through surface modifications or catalyst coatings can enhance charge transfer efficiency.

Which electrolyte is a carrier of energy storage in iron-chromium redox flow batteries (icrfb)?

The electrolyte in the flow battery is the carrier of energy storage, however, there are few studies on electrolyte for iron-chromium redox flow batteries (ICRFB). The low utilization rate and rapid capacity decay of ICRFB electrolyte have always been a challenging problem.

How do Iron Flow batteries work?

Our iron flow batteries work by circulating liquid electrolytes — made of iron, salt, and water — to charge and discharge electrons, providing up to 12 hours of storage capacity. ESS Tech, Inc. (ESS) has developed, tested, validated, and commercialized iron flow technology since 2011.