Multiple-membrane multiple-electrolyte redox flow battery design

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9640826-B2
Application number	US-201313918452-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2013
Priority date	Jun 15, 2012
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A redox flow battery is provided. The redox flow battery involves multiple-membrane (at least one cation exchange membrane and at least one anion exchange membrane), multiple-electrolyte (one electrolyte in contact with the negative electrode, one electrolyte in contact with the positive electrode, and at least one electrolyte disposed between the two membranes) as the basic characteristic, such as a double-membrane, triple electrolyte (DMTE) configuration or a triple-membrane, quadruple electrolyte (TMQE) configuration. The cation exchange membrane is used to separate the negative or positive electrolyte and the middle electrolyte, and the anion exchange membrane is used to separate the middle electrolyte and the positive or negative electrolyte.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A redox flow battery comprising:
a first membrane;
a second membrane;
a first electrolyte disposed between the first membrane and the second membrane;
a second electrolyte disposed between the first membrane and a first electrode; a third electrolyte disposed between the second membrane and a second electrode;
a third membrane disposed between the first membrane and the second membrane; and
a fourth electrolyte disposed between the first membrane and the second membrane; wherein the third membrane separates the fourth electrolyte from the first electrolyte, and either:
(i) the first electrolyte and the fourth electrolyte is not in contact with any electrode: or (ii) the second electrolyte is more basic than the first electrolyte or the fourth electrolyte, and the first electrolyte or the fourth electrolyte is more basic than the third electrolyte.

2. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the first electrolyte and second electrolyte are different in terms of at least one species of anion, and the first electrolyte and third electrolyte are different in terms of at least one species of cation.

3. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the second electrolyte and third electrolyte comprises an anion-based redox pair, a cation-based redox pair or a cation-anion hybrid redox pair.

4. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the second electrolyte comprises an Al(OH) 4 /Al redox pair, a Zn(OH) 4 2 −/Zn redox pair, an S 4 2 −/S 2 2 − redox pair or a Co(CN) 6 3 −/Co(CN) 6 4 redox pair.

5. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the third electrolyte comprises a Co 3 +/Co 2 + redox pair, a Fe 3 /Fe 2 + redox pair or a Ce 4 +/Ce 3 + redox pair.

6. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the second electrolyte comprises an Al(OH) 4 /Al redox pair and the third electrolyte comprises a Co 3+ /Co 2+ redox pair.

7. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the second electrolyte comprises a Zn(OH) 4 2 −/Zn redox pair and the third electrolyte comprises a Ce 4 /Ce 3 + redox pair.

8. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the second electrolyte comprises a Zn(OH) 4 2− /Zn redox pair and the third electrolyte comprises a Ce 4 /Ce 3 + redox pair.

9. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the second electrolyte comprises an S 4 2− /S 2 2− redox pair and the third electrolyte comprises a Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ redox pair.

10. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the first and second membranes are anion-exchange membranes and the third membrane is a cation exchange membrane; or wherein the first and second membranes are cation-exchange membranes and the third membrane is an anion-exchange membrane.

11. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the second electrolyte and the third electrolyte both comprise an anion-cation hybrid redox pair.

12. he redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein one of the first, second and third electrolytes comprises at least one of: cations based on hydronium, sodium, magnesium, potassium or calcium; or anions based on hydroxide, perchlorate, sulfate, phosphate, acetate, chloride, bromide or carbonate.

13. A method of making the redox flow battery of claim 1 comprising:
partially surrounding a first electrolyte with a first membrane and a third membrane;
partially surrounding a fourth electrolyte with the third membrane and a second membrane;
partially surrounding a second electrolyte with the first membrane and a first electrode;
partially surrounding a third electrolyte with the second membrane and a second electrode.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first and second membranes are anion-exchange membranes and the third membrane is a cation exchange membrane; or wherein the first and second membranes are cation-exchange membranes and the third membrane is a anion-exchange membrane.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second electrolyte comprises a Al(OH) 4 − /Al redox pair, a Zn(OH) 4 2− /Zn redox pair, an S 4 2− /S 2 2− redox pair or a Co(CN) 6 3− /Co(CN) 6 4− redox pair; or wherein the third electrolyte comprises a Co 3+ /Co 2+ redox pair, a Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ redox pair or a Ce 4+ /Ce 3+ redox pair.

16. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the second electrolyte comprises an Zn(OH) 4 2− /Zn redox pair and the third electrolyte comprises a Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ redox pair.

17. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the second electrolyte is more basic than the first electrolyte or the fourth electrolyte, and the first electrolyte or the fourth electrolyte is more basic than the third electrolyte.

18. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the first electrolyte and the fourth electrolyte is not in contact with any electrode; and the second electrolyte is more basic than the first electrolyte or the fourth electrolyte, and the first electrolyte or the fourth electrolyte is more basic than the third electrolyte.

Assignees

• Univ Delaware

Inventors

• Yan Yushan
• Gu Shuang
• Gong Ke

Classifications

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M2/40

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M10/4242

  Regeneration of electrolyte or reactants · CPC title

• H01M2300/0082

  Organic polymers · CPC title

• H01M8/04186

  of liquid-charged or electrolyte-charged reactants · CPC title