Publications
SunShot Innovator in Residence Final Report
This report describes the development of Radical-Ion Flow Battery (RIFB) technology for electrochemical grid storage, and solar thermochemical cycles for conversion of concentrated solar energy to stored chemical energy. The Radical-Ion Flow Battery stores energy via electrolysis of a molten salt electrolyte such as NaNO2 into an alkali metal and nitrogen dioxide, both of which can be stored as liquids in non-pressurized tanks. The use of extremely facile ion-radical single electron transfer reactions at both electrodes that entail no breaking of covalent bonds is directed towards minimizing thermodynamic irreversibility in the charge/discharge cycle, and eliminating the need for catalytically active electrode materials. Both kinetics and mass transport are also facilitated by the absence of diluent species; the battery electrolyte and active chemical ingredient are one and the same. Our underlying strategy for low-cost scalability is the use of only earth abundant starting materials (NaCl, N2, O2, and steel). The underlying strategy for avoiding the problem of capacity fade over 10,000 charge/discharge cycles is the use of extremely simple chemistry. It is argued that operation at elevated temperature is highly advantageous for very large-scale batteries from the standpoint of battery heat-sinking, access to ultrahigh conductivity electrolytes, and increased electrochemical kinetic rate constants. Numerous practical considerations, such as seals, insulators, and electrical feedthroughs are examined in detail, as are questions related to low-cost mass production and battery techno-economic analysis.