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Well-Aligned Channels Derived from Wood for Electron and Mass Transportation in Aqueous Flow Batteries

32 Pages Posted: 18 Nov 2019 Publication Status: Review Complete

See all articles by Yang Yang

Yang Yang

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Xiao Sun

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Zheng Cheng

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Alolika Mukhopadhyay

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Avi Natan

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Chao Liu

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Daxian Cao

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Zhu Hongli

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

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Abstract

Nature has provided scientists and engineers with tremendous inspirations and resources to design new materials, architectures, and devices. Inspired by the transportation of water and ions in trees, for the first time, a natural wood-derived freestanding electrode with well-aligned channels was designed as an alternative for the pricey electrode in aqueous vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). The microscale vertically well-aligned channels (the largest channels size are 60 µm) with pit pores on the channel walls work as efficient mass transfer pathways in VRFB. Meanwhile, the designed freestanding wood carbon (WC) electrode is chemically stable, electrically conductive, and has a large specific surface area of 542.28 m2g-1 for fast charge transfer and electrochemical reaction. Furthermore, to improve the wettability and electrochemical catalytic activity, carboxylic groups were introduced on WC via nitric acid (HNO3) treatment (N-WC). Negatively charged carboxylic groups (with a zeta potential of -50.6 mV for N-WC suspension) provide extra driving force for the adsorption of vanadium cations towards the electrode surface, and therefore further enhance the mass transfer. The discharge capacity retention for N-WC electrode is 83.58 % after 100 cycles at 100 mA cm-2, whereas, the corresponding capacity retention is 57.21 % for WC electrode. Moreover, we found that the N-WC electrode has a predominant effect on the positive side of VRFB with the associated half-cell presents voltage efficiency of 92.10 % and energy efficiency of 88.23 % at current density of 40 mA cm-2. Notably, the discharge capacity for the positive half-cell has an excellent cycle stability of 90.19 % retention after 100 cycles at 100 mA cm-2. This work opens a new strategy to apply Nature derived structure and materials for mass and charge transfer in energy storage areas.

Keywords: Natural wood, Well-aligned Channels, Mass Transfer, Charge transfer, Redox flow battery, Electrode

Suggested Citation

Yang, Yang and Sun, Xiao and Cheng, Zheng and Mukhopadhyay, Alolika and Natan, Avi and Liu, Chao and Cao, Daxian and Hongli, Zhu, Well-Aligned Channels Derived from Wood for Electron and Mass Transportation in Aqueous Flow Batteries (November 14, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3486653 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3486653
This version of the paper has not been formally peer reviewed.

Yang Yang

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

United States

Xiao Sun

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

United States

Zheng Cheng

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

United States

Alolika Mukhopadhyay

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

United States

Avi Natan

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

United States

Chao Liu

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

United States

Daxian Cao

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

United States

Zhu Hongli (Contact Author)

Northeastern University - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering ( email )

United States

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