The hybrid battery both stores electrical energy and generates useful chemicals simultaneously. Rechargeable batteries store electricity in their electrode materials, while redox flow batteries use chemicals stored in tanks attached to the electrodes. Scientists have recently engineered a hybrid ba
Researchers from Tsinghua University have developed a hybrid battery that not only stores and supplies electricity but also produces valuable chemicals like furfuryl alcohol and furoic acid. The dual-use system combines features of rechargeable and redox flow batteries, using specialized catalysts to transform biomass-derived furfural into useful chemicals while the battery charges or discharges.
When reduced, furfural is converted into furfuryl alcohol, a precursor in resins, flavors, and drugs. Haohong Duan and a team of researchers from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, have now succeeded in obtaining both value-added chemicals during the operation of a hybrid flow battery, increasing the cost efficiency of the battery system.
A breakthrough came in the form of a bifunctional metal catalyst for the anode. Made of a rhodium–copper single-, this catalyst smoothly converted electrolyte-containing furfural into furfuryl alcohol when the battery was charged, while furoic acid was formed as the battery was discharged. For the cathode, the researchers identified a cobalt-doped nickel hydroxide material, similar to cathode materials used in traditional nickel–zinc or nickel–metal hydride batteries.
The authors found that the new hybrid battery is comparable to a number of common batteries in terms of energy density and power density, but it provides both power and value-added chemicals at the same time. While storing 1 kWh of energy, 0.7 kg of furfuryl alcohol is produced, and 1 kg of furoic acid is produced when the system provides a power of 0.5 kWh . However, furfural is continually fed into the system and the products must be separated from the electrolyte.
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